


The Golden Hour

by Circus4APsycho8, HyperCircuit



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bullies, Collaboration, College, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Cussing, Cute, F/F, F/M, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Flirty!Chara, Fluff, Light-Hearted, M/M, Mage!Reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Photography, Reader is a gamer, Reader-Insert, damn chara smooth af, male!chara, reader is shy, sans is also kinda flirty, slight sans/reader but is only temporary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Circus4APsycho8/pseuds/Circus4APsycho8, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperCircuit/pseuds/HyperCircuit
Summary: You're a college student studying for a photography degree who works at a candy shop, living life one day at a time. One day, you meet a flirty boy who just won't leave you alone. Little do you know his friendship leads to the creation of your magnum opus....[Male!Chara x Reader]Chapters will be at least 2,000 words. We're going to try and dish out updates every week unless otherwise stated....Arc 1 - Chapters 1 - ?: Filling the FrameArc 2 - Chapters ? - ?: [currently unnamed]Arc 3 - Chapters ? - ?: [currently unnamed]
Relationships: Chara (Undertale) & Reader, Chara (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader, Sans (Undertale) & Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 57
Kudos: 170
Collections: Fics of the HyperCircus





	1. Enemy Approaching

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya!  
> Welcome to The Golden Hour!  
> This is a collab fic that Circus4APsycho8 and I are very excited to bring to you all. This fic is a slice of life with a pretty tame plot. It's a slow burn, even though Chara is very flirty. There may be occasional POV switches.
> 
> Hey guys, it's Circus4APsycho8 here. I just wanted to quickly mention that, while I do practice photography as a hobby, I am not very educated about it. We've done tons of research on it so we hope it's not too off. Also, anyone who gets any of the MANY fandom references we have inserted automatically gets a virtual cookie. And like HyperCircuit mentioned earlier, this is meant to be a slowish burn but Chara is very flirty and forward. Same with Sans. Like we mentioned in the tags, there will be slight Sans/reader, but it will only be temporary.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter I - Enemy Approaching**

Chocolate bars...check!

Lollipops...check!

Jelly beans...check!

With a victorious sigh, you set the box down, looking up at your work. Three shelves’ worth of candy, all fully stocked at last. Kicking the cardboard box to the discard pile, you smile to yourself before walking behind the counter and leaning over, checking the aforementioned candies off of the list. Once you set the pen down, you hear the tiny bell above the door chime as a young couple walks in.

You greet them from your spot, watching as they browse and pick a few treats. Once they’re done, they bring their goodies over to you, where you scan and bag them. They pay and wave goodbye as they return outside.

You’d never get enough of seeing how happy your tiny, family-owned candy store made people. With the rise of monsterkind a few years back, your selection had only increased to adopt magic-enhanced sweets as well to suit your monster customers. You had a few, but you hear the majority of them prefer going up to Muffet’s, which you honestly have no problem with. She makes some pretty mean donuts and coffee, after all. Her place is good to chill at for study breaks and caffeine refresher periods - especially for exhausted college students like yourself.

A smile graces your lips as you recall the day monsters had returned. That had been five years ago. You were fourteen at the time, and seeing that broadcast had been...incredible. That didn’t even cover the emotion you’d been feeling at the time.

Discovering you were one of the many humans granted with the phenomenon of magic was one of the best days of your life. The very form of art you had fallen in love with also turned out to be what you can manipulate.

_Photographs._

You have the power to freeze a moment in time or temporarily bring it back to life. The ones you take can be altered by your mind alone, giving you the power to truly capture a sight the way you see it. It’s been a lovely power to have, and you hope to explore it more in the future.

A sudden noise breaks you out of your thoughts. You strain your ears to listen further, trying to see if you can figure out where it came from. It definitely came from outside, judging by how muffled and distant it sounds, but you can’t quite pinpoint its exact location.

Soon, you hear another clash of...something, so you leave the counter and exit the store through the back door, only to find a couple of kids your age circled around two smaller children, one monster and one human, all huddled in the alley. The older humans are laughing and holding rocks.

Once you register what’s going on, anger boils within you.

“Hey!” you shout. The bullies look up at you. You go to stand in front of the cowering children as the biggest jeers at you with a nasty scowl.

“What do _you_ want? Are you one of them monster-lovin’ bitches?”

You glare at him, putting your hands on your hips and frowning. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bully children five years younger than you? Go pick on someone your own size!” you retort, holding your ground. Then, he steps closer, causing you to bring your phone out and wave it at the bullies.

“I have the police on speed dial. I’ll call them if I have to. There’s also a park full of people just across the road,” you threaten, glower not retreating. “Don't do something you’ll regret.” 

The lesser bullies look nervously at the oldest kid, who continues louring at you before leaving with his gang. You flip them off before turning to the children behind you.

One of the kids is an absolutely adorable goat monster, who seems to be scared; his big, emerald eyes are glassy and lined with tears. The other is a human - one that you recognize from the news, the very face you saw years ago; they wear an iconic sweater striped with purple and blue.

_The Ambassador._

You shake off your surprise and kneel next to the kids. You notice some scrapes on their faces and arms and seethe with rage. You dig through your pockets, looking for something - _anything -_ that heals. _How did you not have anything on you?_ You stand and hold out your hands.

“Come with me. My shop is just a short walk away. I’ll get you two patched up.”

The children take your hands, and you lead them to your store.

The siblings sit on a bench across from the door as you race around to the monster candy section to find the treats that heal wounds. Quickly, you pluck two of them off of the shelves before returning.

“Here,” you say, handing it to them. “This will heal your injuries. I’m sorry you had to experience that. Are you two okay? Can I get you anything?”

The Ambassador - Frisk, you think - nods. “We’re okay. Thank you, miss. What’s your name?”

You introduce yourself to them. “Now, I know you’re Frisk,” you say, pointing towards the brown-haired kid. “And you...you’re Asriel, right?”

“Yes ma’am!” Asriel responds. “Thank you so much. We weren’t sure how we’d get out of that!”

Smiling, you nod and say: “You’re welcome. It was wrong of them to hurt the two of you like that. Now, I can call your guardian for you and tell them where you are.”

Frisk nods and hands you a phone covered with stickers, the contacts list pulled up. You select ‘Mom!” and press call.

_Ring…_

_Ring…_

_Click!_

“Goodness! Children, are you alright?” a worried voice comes through the phone. “You were supposed to be home an hour ago! Are you injured?” She continues babbling for a moment, so you wait for her to finish. 

“Um… Hi, I’m (Y/N) (L/N). I found your children being bothered by bullies just now. I resolved the situation and brought them to my candy store to patch them up. They're fine now. If you would like to come pick them up, I can tell you our address.” 

You hear a shocked gasp. “Oh! Yes, I will come pick them up. Where is your store?”

“We are the candy store right across from Ebott library. The shop with the purple awning,” you tell her.

“Thank you so much! I will come pick them up.”

You hang up the phone and hand it to Frisk. 

“Now we wait, kiddos. She should be here soon.” The kids nod. You reach behind you and grab three bars of chocolate. You hand two to the kids and open the last for yourself. Taking a bite out of your treat, you sit cross-legged on the floor.

“Thank you,” they say in unison before tearing their respective wrappers.

After a few moments of munching, you ask: “...Soooo, what video games do you two like?”

…

You are in the middle of ranting about Super Smash Brothers when a goat monster bursts through the door, clearly breathless. Frisk and Asriel shoot up from their seats and rush to hug the newcomer.

“Mom!”

Oh! This must be the person you talked on the phone with! _She looks familiar…_ you think.

“Children!” She leans down and hugs them both before she stands and makes eye contact with you. You extend your hand for a hand shake but get enveloped in a hug instead. A few seconds later, she steps back.

“Thank you for helping my children. I am Toriel. You are (Y/N) (L/N), yes?”

_Toriel? As in… The Queen of Monsters? I’m standing in front of the Queen of Monsters!_

“Um. Yes. T-that’s me, uh, Your Majesty.” _Great job, (Y/N)_

Toriel smiles. “Oh, just call me Toriel. Or Tori, whichever you prefer. Thank you for helping my children.”

Frisk tugs on their mom’s sleeve. “It was so great, mom! She threatened to call the police! And they left! And-” They continue to babble, but Toriel looks over Frisk’s head to you.

“My child, is there anything we can do for you?”

You shake your head. “No need.”

“My child, we must do _something_ to show our gratitude! Would you like to come to dinner one day?”

You smile. “I would like that very much.”

…

A few hours after Toriel comes to pick them up, you return to your job, a bit crestfallen after that event. _Who would think to hurt a child?!_

As your thoughts continue along a similar track, you busy yourself by sweeping the floors and tidying up. Once more, the chime of the teensy bell snaps your train of thought, causing you to look up.

There stands another monster, this one tall but...quite...heroic-looking? He’s at least two feet taller than you, but he’s...grinning and chuckling to himself.

“HELLO, HUMAN!” he begins. “MY NAME IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I WAS STROLLING ALONG MY MERRY WAY WHEN I NOTICED YOU HAD A SIGN OUT STATING THAT YOU ARE HIRING NEW EMPLOYEES!”

Previous predicament forgotten, your smile returns and you nod. “Yes we are! I take it you’re interested?”

“YES INDEEDY!” he cries, striking a heroic pose. “I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION, PLEASE!”

You can’t help but laugh a bit as you bend down to a file cabinet underneath the counter and pull out the drawer before picking up one of the stapled sheets of paper. “Here you are, Papyrus! I look forward to seeing your application.”

He takes it and presses one of his gloved hands to his sternum. “NYEH HEH HEH! I WILL WARN YOU: MY QUALIFICATIONS TEND TO BLOW POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS OUT OF THE WATER!”

Another chuckle escapes you as he poses yet again, his glorious, red cape drifting in a nonexistent breeze. “Well, in that case, I’ll be waiting!”

“NYEH. I WILL RETURN TOMORROW WITH THE MOST UTTERLY _COOL_ APPLICATION YOU HAVE EVER FEASTED YOUR EYES UPON!” With that, the eccentric skeleton opens the door. “HAVE A NICE DAY, FUTURE EMPLOYER!”

“Thanks, you too!” you yell, shaking your head affectionately.

…

After your shift is over and you’re about to lock up, you hear the bell ring for one last time. Already knowing who it is, you turn and smile.

“Hey,” you say, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “How was your day?”

Your older brother, Dustin, smiles and shrugs. “Pretty solid, boring-ass lectures aside. Yours?”

“Uh...interesting, to say the least. Started off pretty normal, but then…”

As the two of you continue walking down the sidewalk, you recount your tale.

“Damn! The ambassador, huh?” he replies. “That’s insane.”

“I know!” you respond, laughing. “Stars, I just can’t believe someone would hurt them like that…”

“Well, you know what dad says. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. As shitty as that is, it’s true and can’t be changed.”

You nod, enjoying the breeze of the cool night air. Feeling that nothing more needs to be said on the topic, you decide to switch subjects.

“What do you think mom cooked for dinner?” you question.

“Hell if I know. Probably chicken or something…” Dustin replies, chuckling. “Think you’ll need help with your shift tomorrow?”

“I don’t think so. I finished stocking today, and I don’t anticipate it being any more crowded than it is normally,” you answer.

“Alright then… I guess I’ll head out to the extra-credit debate…”

Your brother rambles on for a while about his extra credit assignment for physics, but you tune out and focus on your gut, which tells you that something significant might happen tomorrow.

...

You flop on your bed with an exaggerated sigh, stretching and rolling over to glance at your walls. Posters of all shapes, sizes, and fandoms cover your (f/c) walls. The border has fairy lights draped all around it, giving the room a golden glow. Other than posters, there are many pictures that you have taken yourself. Pictures of your family, pictures of nature, random photos, some of which have been given to you by your friends… Your eyes travel to the rest of the room.

A small bulletin board sits above your desk, covered with pictures and sticky notes. In the corner is a small (f/c) beanbag, set up in front of your favorite gaming system. You stretch out an arm in the direction of your beloved game, weighing your options. It’s either go to bed like a responsible person, or finish up where you left off on your favorite game...

You haul yourself out of bed and take a controller, ignoring the little voice in your head telling you to sleep.

You don’t get to bed for another three hours.


	2. Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thanks for all the support we've gained so far!
> 
> Also, we decided that we'll try and update on a weekly basis now rather than every other week. We may post another chapter towards the end of the week too!

**Chapter II - Determination**

Your warm beverage of choice is delicious, as per usual.

Hands wrapped around the mug, you idly stand behind the counter once more, listening to your parents chattering in the back room. Papyrus is supposed to come back today for his interview, which is why your family is here.

You stand there, sipping your drink for a few more minutes when finally, the ring sounds once more. Looking up, you find that Papyrus is here along with another skeleton. This one, however, is shorter and has a rounder skull. His phalanges are stuffed in the pockets of his blue jacket, and he’s about your height, maybe a little taller.

“HELLO AGAIN, HUMAN!”

“Hi!” you greet, waving at him. “Got your application?”

“YES I DO!” he cries, handing the packet back to you.

“Great! Let me get my parents and we’ll start your interview!”

...

You stand in the corner behind your parents, being sure to quickly flash Papyrus a thumbs-up before clasping your hands together and listening.

“So… Mr. Papyrus Serif, yes?” your father says, looking at Papyrus’ application.

“YES, SIR.” 

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Serif."

“JUST PAPYRUS IS FINE, BOSS MAN AND BOSS LADY.”

“Your application is very interesting. I can see that you have quite the passion for whatever you do,” your mother observes with a gentle smile. “The jobs you’ve had in the past are very impressive! Royal Guardsman, Policeman, and...Spaghetti Extraordinaire?” You can tell she’s trying not to laugh.

“Tell me, Papyrus,” your father says, leaning forward. “Why did you give up those jobs to work at a humble candy shop?”

“WELL,” Papyrus fidgets with the end of his scarf. “MY ROYAL GUARDSMAN AND POLICEMAN JOBS SOMETIMES GOT…VERY VIOLENT. I’D RATHER HAVE A JOB THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE INJURING VILLAINS, EVEN THOUGH MY PAST JOBS DID BRING JUSTICE. AND BEING A SPAGHETTI EXTRAORDINAIRE IS A LIFESTYLE THAT I WOULD NEVER GIVE UP. I’M JUST TOO GOOD AT IT.” Papyrus grins.

“I don’t doubt it, Mr. Papyrus,” your father replies with a smile. “I think that you would fit it very nicely here. But why else should we hire you?”

“THE ANSWER IS QUITE SIMPLE. I AM ONE OF THE MOST HARDWORKING AND TENACIOUS MONSTERS YOU WILL EVER MEET. WHILE I DON’T DOUBT THE CAPABILITY OF MY FELLOW MONSTERS, I DO THINK I AM QUITE THE WORKER. I ENJOY WORKING WITH HUMANS AND MONSTERS ALIKE! OFTEN, I AM DESCRIBED AS AMBITIOUS, FAST-LEARNING, AND POSITIVE. I WORK TO GET THE JOB DONE AND TAKE PRIDE IN WHAT I DO.”

With a nod, your mother writes down a few notes before looking back up at the eager skeleton. You suddenly remember the other skeleton that had arrived with Papyrus and head back outside to see if he needs help.

...

“Hi, I’m sorry for your wait. May I help you?”

“heya, kiddo. ‘m sans, sans the skeleton. also known as papyrus’ older bro,” the other skeleton says, walking towards the counter and grinning. “just came by to say thanks for givin’ him an opportunity like this.” 

“No problem!” you say with a grin. “I’m sure he’ll really enjoy working here. It’s a pretty  _ sweet _ job if you know what I mean.”

Sans leans on the counter with a lazy smile. “candy puns, eh? that one made me  _ snicker-s _ .” You laugh and his smile gets wider.

“That’s just the way I  _ rolo _ ,” you say, still laughing. Sans snorts a bit, and you can’t help but think his laugh is kind of cute.

" _ sucrose _ , yet so far.”

“I have a few  _ twix _ up my sleeve, Sans.”

“that joke sure was  _ king-sized _ .” You rack your brain for puns, but nearly come up empty handed.

“I have a  _ confection _ to make. I’m running out of puns,” you declare.

“that would mean that i’m  _ candy-cane-ing _ the upper hand then.” Sans laughs, a slight blue tinting his zygomatic arches.  _ Is that a skele-blush?  _ you think.  _ Aww. _

“I think I’m out. I can't think of anymore,” you laugh, raising your hands in surrender.

“really,  _ sweet-tart? _ ” You feel yourself blush slightly upon hearing the pet name. No one outside of your family had called you that before!

Papyrus suddenly bursts out of the back room, where you spy your parents both grinning widely. “SANS! I AM HIRED!”

Sans grins. “i knew you could do it, bro. you were  _ mint  _ to work here.” He waves a packet of mint gum at his brother.

“SANS! DON’T RUIN THE MOMENT WITH AWFUL PUNS!”

“sorry bro.” Sans is  clearly  not sorry, judging by the enormous permagrin on his faceplate. Papyrus turns to you and gives you a big hug, effectively squeezing the life out of you.

“HUMAN! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GAVE ME THE APPLICATION. THANK YOU FOR HELPING!”

You laugh somewhat breathlessly at his tight embrace, but attempt to hug back. “I’m glad that you got the job, Papyrus. I’m excited to work with you in the future!”

“I AM EXCITED TOO! SANS! LET’S GO HOME! I NEED TO MAKE SPECIAL CELEBRATION SPAGHETTI! GOODBYE FUTURE CO-WORKER!” Papyrus bounds out the door.

Sans turns to you and winks. “see ya ‘round, sugar.”

He walks out the door, leaving your blushy self alone with your thoughts.

...

As you’re cleaning up from your most recent shift and waiting for your brother to take over, you hear the door opening once more. Expecting it to be Dustin, you go to greet him, but pause when you see a guy your age standing in front of the door.

“Excuse me,” he begins, walking towards you. “Are you…” he says your name.

“Yes. How can I help you?”

A grin appears on his face as he steps forward. “I’m Chara Dreemurr, the older brother of Frisk and Asriel. Our mother told us of how you intervened with the situation yesterday…”

“Oh! Yes, that was me.”

His lopsided smile returns, and you note that he has tiny dimples embedded in his cheeks. His eyes are what capture your attention, though: they’re a lovely, bright shade of scarlet. You note that he looks a bit tired, probably from work or college - just like you. His hair is a light shade of brown, and is cut short. His cheeks, you observe, are rosy and slightly flushed. Lining the skin underneath his eyes is a faint row of tiny freckles.

“Well, I’m glad I caught you,” Chara replies. “I wanted to thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you respond. “I was just doing the right thing.”

“Well, we appreciate it. By the way, my mom wanted me to give you this.” He pulls out an envelope and hands it to you. It’s covered in Super Smash Bros stickers, but hey - you’re not complaining. A smile crosses your face as you take it and look it over.

Chara whistles and smirks a bit. “Man, did the sun come up or did you just smile at me?”

“Oh my stars,” you reply, giggling shyly. “That was bad. Sweet, but bad.”

He chuckles and steps back, looking around. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. And where do you guys keep the chocolate?”

“Right over there,” you respond, pointing to the display of chocolate.

“Excellent,” he mumbles before walking over and snagging an entire box of dark chocolate bars. “All of these, please.”

“All of them?!” you ask, eyes widening.

“Yeah. Is that alright?” Chara doesn’t seem to show any sign of joking, so you shake your head with a small smile and multiply the price by the number of bars before adding tax. He hands you the necessary amount of money, and you start counting out the change.

“Thank you for your purchase. Here’s your change,” you say, handing it to him.

“Keep it,” he replies, winking at you.  _ Two winks from two different guys in two days...that’s crazy! _

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. Thanks again. Have a great day. You’ll definitely be seeing me around here again.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” you say, smiling and waving as Chara exits the shop.

After he’s gone, you walk into the back where your parents are talking over Papyrus’ paperwork. You walk up and throw your arms around them both.

“Thanks for hiring Papyrus, Mom and Dad! It’ll be nice to have someone else here!”

Your mother smiles. “Well, he seems like a very nice monster.”

Dad checks his watch and raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you have class, (Y/N)?”

You step back and grab your backpack from its waiting spot by the door. “Yeah, I just wanted to say bye. Are you two watching the store?”

Your mother grabs her striped apron and ties it around her waist. “I’ll watch it until Dustin gets here, then I’m going to go shopping.” She puts her hands on her hips and playfully glares. “Because  _ somebody _ ate all of the (f/f)!”

You laugh nervously and shoulder your backpack. “Welp, gotta go to class! Bye Mom! Bye Dad!”

You dash out of the store, the short walk to class giving you time to think for a bit. The day is sunny and beautiful. Tiny clouds dot the sky, which is as blue as ever. You continue walking along the sidewalk.

When you arrive at your university, you gasp when you see the dogwood tree next to campus. Now that it’s spring, delicate, white blossoms bloom on it.  _ It’s so beautiful _ , you think. You pull your phone out of your pocket and go to snap a quick picture. You don’t have your Nikon, so the phone will have to do for now.

_ Hold the camera steady… _

_ No, not that angle… _

_ That’s better... _

_ Focus… _

_ And… _

_ Snap! _

You look at the picture. It looks good! The petals appear against a sunny, blue sky, almost giving the impression of clouds. Almost. Deciding you’ll edit it later on, you send it to your mother, who loves trees and flowers, and continue your walk.

...

Once you arrive at your classroom, you drop your bag next to your seat before getting settled.

“There you are. You’re a little later than usual,” comes another voice.

You turn to see your desk neighbor, Burgerpants. As per usual, he’s got one earbud in, which is most likely blaring k-pop.

“Had some stuff happen at the store that I had to take care of. I’ll tell you more later on,” you reply, spying the envelope that Chara had given you and pulling it out of your bag. You gingerly tear the envelope open and pull the letter out.  It’s covered in Smash Bro stickers, but also has sparkly, multi-colored smiley-face ones. In childish handwriting reads:

_ To (Y/N)!!!!! _

_ We the Dreemurrs FORMALLY invite YOU to our humble abode for dinner on Tuesday at 5:00 PM, SHARP!!! _

_ Our house is located here: 5938 Just Monika Rd. _

_ B E T H E R E or we will come and cover you in stickers >:( _

~~_ also chara sucks _ ~~

_ -The Dreemurrs!!!!!!!! _

A chuckle escapes you as you look up and spy your other three desk mates, Napstablook, Temmie, and Max Caulfield all walking/floating towards your group of desks. You wave to them as they come over.

“Hey guys!” you greet, smiling.

“h-hey,” Naps greets, floating towards down in his seat and giving you a tiny smile.

“hOI!” Temmie says, waving her paw as Max sets her down in her seat.

“Sorry we’re late,” Max adds with a guilty little grin. “We needed a little tea break this morning.” She holds up a to-go cup as proof.

“That’s fair,” you respond. “I’m probably going to be heading to Muffet’s after school to pick up some caffeine too…”

“that reminds me…” Napstablook speaks up, his headphones situated on his nonexistent shoulders. “have any of you heard about the final project? jefferson is supposed to announce it soon...”

Your eyes widen and you can’t help but become nervous. “I haven’t heard anything. Doesn’t the theme change every year?”

“I heard it was ‘I’m Ready’ last year,” Burgerpants interjects. “I have no idea what he’ll throw at us this year.”

“yayA!” Temmie agrees.

With that, Professor Jefferson steps into class, so you all quiet down and listen in.

...

After you bid your friends farewell for the day, you head to Muffet’s bakery, enjoying the sunny walk. The sun warms your skin after being stuck inside your cold classroom for a while.

Once you arrive, you step inside the bakery and inhale; the air smells of baked goods and coffee, which makes you smile.

_ I should really try to bake sometime _ , you think.  _ When was the last time I baked? _ You snap out of your thoughts.  _ Okay, (Y/N), here's the game plan. Buy donuts and coffee, head to the library, study ‘til you pass out. Sounds good? Good.  _

You walk up to the counter and ring the small bell at the register.

“Just a minute!”

“Take your time!” you call.

Muffet steps out of the back holding a tray of beautiful spider-donuts, all perfectly iced and mouth-watering.

“Why, hello (Y/N)! How are you doing, dearie?” Muffet asks, as she slides the tray into place under the register.

“I’m doing well! I’m here to get some donuts and coffee, please. I’m going to study for a while. How are you?”

“Ahuhuhu! I’m fine, love, thanks for asking. What flavor donuts?”

You tell her your favorite flavor and your preference of coffee.

“Okay! I’ll get that ready for you!”

You thank her, and go to stand so that you aren't in the way of any new customers. The store is mostly empty, with the exception of a few students like yourself who are studying or just chatting in the booths that stand near the windows. You study Muffet’s menu as you wait, envying her delicate cursive. You hear the door open behind you and glance at the newcomer.

It’s Chara.

He glances around the store as he steps in. When his eyes find you, he grins and waves. You wave back. He walks up to the counter and rings the bell, just like you did. Muffet comes out holding a to-go cup of coffee. Must be yours.

“Why, hello Chara! I’ll get your order in just a second.” She turns to you and hands you the cup.

“Here, dearie. I’ll get the donuts out in no time.” You thank her.

She turns back to Chara. “What would you like today?” 

“The usual, please. Dark chocolate spider donuts and a dark chocolate mocha.”

You frown. “After all the chocolate you bought this morning?”

He shoots you a confused expression. “You can never have too much chocolate.”

A little laugh escapes you. “That’s fair, I guess.”

Muffet nods. “I’ll get that out.” She goes back to the kitchen as Chara turns to you with a wide grin.

“It’s nice to see you again!”

“It’s nice to see you too,” you agree with a smile. You turn and take a spoon from a small spider offering it on the counter. You thank the adorable arachnid and stir your coffee. “Muffet’s is the best place to get coffee and stuff before studying.”

He nods. “You’re right there. Are you a college student?”

You take a sip from your mug.  _ Ahh, It’s perfect _ . “Yup. I’m studying to get a master’s in photography. You?”

“Cool! I’m a student too. I’m trying for a marketing degree.”

“Impressive!” you say, surprised. “Is the work hard?”

“Well, it depends. I’m planning on doing a lot of studying at the library once I leave here.”

“Really? Me too!”

“Huh…” Chara suddenly smiles again. “Do you wanna study together?”

You think it over and smile shyly. “I would like that.”

Muffet comes out of the back holding a purple box with your donuts inside. She places it near the register. You walk over and pull out your wallet to pay, when Chara hands her a bill. 

“That’s for mine and the lady’s, Muff.”

You gasp and look up, ready to protest. “What?! You don’t have to-”

Muffet shrugs but smiles smugly and takes the money before sliding it into the register. She turns to get Chara’s box of donuts and hands it to him along with his coffee. 

“Bye dears! Don’t study too much!” She walks to the back once more. You turn to Chara, a blush on your face. 

“You didn’t have to buy my stuff!” you protest.

He grins at you. “Least I can do for someone who saved my siblings from some jackasses. Also, can I make a statement?” He leans down and pokes your cheek. “Your flustered face is adorable.” He grabs his purchase and turns to you like nothing happened. “Shall we go?”

You grab your box and will yourself to stop blushing. “Thank you for buying,” you whisper.

He winks. “No problem, sunshine.” Welp, no way you're gonna stop blushing now.

...

You sit at the table in the back and set down your stuff while Chara sits next to you. You muster up your courage and sit up straight before you say your piece.

“Chara, before we start studying…” you trail off.

“Yeah?”

“If we make this a regular thing, you can’t spend anymore money on me. Deal?”

You stick out your pinky, a serious expression on your face. Quickly, you wonder if this is an appropriate way to handle the situation. Too late! You wonder if he will think that you're childish. You think about pulling your finger back, but Chara has a serious expression too. He reaches out and locks his pinky with yours.

“Fine,” he says. You kiss your hand to seal the deal, and he does the same. You look up while in the process of kissing your finger and blush at how close he is. You pull away and open your laptop. While it’s turning on, you trace the many stickers covering it. So many different fandoms and game characters grace the laptop’s exterior. You trace the biggest one: a green sticker with the words ‘It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this!’ You smile.  _ Stars, I’m such a nerd. _ Chara glances over from turning on his own laptop and laughs. “I like your stickers.”

“Thanks. I  _ do  _ have a lot of them,” you say.

He grins. “You could give Asriel and Frisk a run for their money. They  _ love  _ stickers.”

“You should see my room, it's absolutely  _ covered  _ in stickers and posters,” you laugh.

Chara laughs. “You seem very well versed in the world of video games and fandoms,” he observes.

You give him a lopsided grin. “That's a nice way of saying that I’m a huge nerd.”

Chara chuckles again. “You’ll have to tell me what you like to play sometime.”

“I will!” you say. “Maybe sometime after we have to study, though.”

Chara nods. “Yeah, we had better get studying. Maybe once you need a break, there's this cool show that I like...maybe I can show you a bit?”

“I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell us what you think, and thank you for reading! Also, Professor Jefferson and Max Caulfield are not our characters ;)


	3. Bonetrousle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you looking for a digit? Congratulations, you found it! The digit for this section is: 4. (Lol if you're not in this Discord server, just ignore this XD)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!

**Chapter III - Bonetrousle**

Your day starts like any other Wednesday.

Once more, you find yourself residing behind the counter of the candy shop. Today, you’re making little posters to put around the town. The website you’re using allows you to create bright and creative ones that are neater than what you would have made by hand.

“How’s it going?” your brother asks, peeking over your shoulder.

“Well, I think. Do you think they look okay?”

You see him nodding out of the corner of your eye. “Yep. Let me know when you finish up so I can send them to the printer.”

“Alright.”

After a few minutes of you designing your advertisements, someone walks in. You look up to find...Chara. Again.

“Back for more chocolate?” you question, smirking a bit.

“Yep,” he replies, “but, I also couldn’t stay away from you.” A dry laugh escapes you, but you still roll your eyes while also taking a step back in embarrassment.

”The chocolate’s over there,” Dustin directs rather sternly, glaring at Chara while pointing at the display of chocolate. The latter chuckles lightly and raises his hands in surrender before returning to the stand where his beloved dessert lies. Your brother eyes you suspiciously and folds his arms, posture straightening. 

“I got this,” you say, staring at him and hoping he gets the point. Dustin raises his eyebrow, and you nod, so he returns to the back room.

Sighing exasperatedly at his overprotectiveness, you return your attention to the brown-haired boy. Once he returns with a few bars of dark chocolate, his smile returns and he leans on the counter.

“Y’know, what you said yesterday got me thinking,” he starts.

“What would that be, exactly?”

“You brought up the idea of our study sessions becoming a regular thing,” he answers, plopping the chocolate bars on the counter. You begin scanning them while listening. “Would you want to do that?”

“Of course,” you reply. “My schedule is a little different each day, but we can work that out as we go.”

He smiles again and nods. “That’s alright.”

“Perfect,” you say before reading his total. Once again, he pays, but this time accepts the change and pockets it.

“See you this afternoon?”

“See you then,” you reply, smiling.

…

You tie your striped apron around your waist and take one last sip from your travel mug. Today is Papyrus’ first day on the job, and you're going to show him the ropes. 

_ He should be here any second now…  _ You hear a chime of the bell and grin.

You step out of the back and smile at the skeleton walking in.

“Hello, Papyrus! Excited for your first day?”

Papyrus nods vigorously. “I SURE AM, CO-WORKER (Y/N)!” 

You wave him to the back room. “Follow me! I’ll show you the backroom and get you an apron!”

“WOWIE!” He follows you to the back.

Once you get him an extra-tall apron, you show Papyrus the storage room, the office, and everything else he might need to know. You teach him how to work the register, and how to restock. He’s taking it all in stride, making you think that he’ll work very well here. 

Three-fourths of the way into your shift, you hear the bell chime, alerting you to a customer. You stick your head out of the break room, where you are currently talking with Papyrus, and nod at the newcomers. A small family comes in: two parents and two children. You turn to Papyrus.

“Do you want to take them?” 

Papyrus’ eyes sparkle. “YES! VERY MUCH!” You give him a thumbs up before he walks into the store, greeting the customers enthusiastically. He rings them up and bids them a good day, just as you told him do.

Once the family leaves, you congratulate Papyrus and give him some pointers. You go to straighten up when you hear the bell, so you set the broom aside and turn to see who it is. 

“OH! SANS!” Papyrus rushes over to hug his brother. “I’VE LEARNED SO MUCH IN THE ART OF CANDY-SHOP-KEEPING!” 

“that’s good, bro. you almost done with your shift? i came to pick ya up.” 

You glance at the clock on the wall.  _ Wow, time sure flies!  _ You have half an hour before class starts. Your mom should be showing up soon to take your place. 

“ALMOST DONE SANS!! I WILL SWEEP THE BACK ROOM UNTIL MY SHIFT IS OVER! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!” He dashes to the back with the broom, and you chuckle.

“He is gonna fit in  _ so _ well here.”

Sans grins. “my bro sure is cool, huh.”

You nod. “The coolest.” His grin goes wider with your response.

“So,” you begin. “Anything I can help you with while your brother is busy?”

He winks and leans on the counter. “well, you can tell me if any of this candy is as sweet as you.”

You feel yourself start to blush as you snort a small laugh. He takes this as permission to continue.

“are you made of copper and tellurium? ‘cuz you're CuTe.”

You make a small flustered noise and hide your face, giggling. “Chemistry puns?” 

“yeah. only  _ periodically _ , though.” 

You laugh. “Okay,  _ that _ was good.”

“you set me up for it. by the way, are you fluorine, iodine, and neon? because you’re damn FINe.”

You rub your red cheeks and try to change the subject. “Chemistry puns, though? Are you a student at Ebott University?”

He nods. “yup. i’m working towards a degree in chemistry and physics.”

“Wow! That’s really cool!” you say.

Sans scratches the back of his skull, blushing slightly. “eh, kinda. but you know what they say about chemistry…” he says, mischievously. You ready yourself for the inevitable pun, but before he can say anything, Papyrus bursts through the back door and picks up his brother, slinging him over his shoulder.

“I WAS PUTTING AWAY MY APRON WHEN I HEARD YOU ABOUT TO MAKE A PUN, WHICH I WILL NOT TOLERATE. HUMAN (Y/N)! I HAVE CLOCKED OUT! NOW MY BROTHER AND I MUST BE GOING. I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW!”

You smile and wave. “Okay! I’ll see you then, Papyrus! And goodbye Sans!”

Sans points finger guns at you as Papyrus carries him out the door. You laugh at the brothers’ antics, and go to grab your backpack. Your mom walks in to watch the shop and you leave for class.

…

“Do you think it’’ll be hard?”

“I heard he’s making us do a lot of edits this time…”

“How much do you think it’ll count for?”

You shake your head upon listening to your classmates. This final project has been all the rage lately, and for good reason - the final product will be worth half of your grade.

You’re nervous, to say the least; working with themes had never been one of your strong suits. In all honesty, if your class gets a bad theme, then you’re probably screwed. Professor Jefferson changes it every year to ensure that no student can copy a former one’s project.

You rarely did pictures with any deeper meaning; more than anything, you photographed nature. There was something so lovely, so  _ still  _ and peaceful and...comforting knowing that even the most inanimate of life can still be happy with itself.

And then, you have the darker side of nature as well - the death, the decay, the rot...you could go on. There is truth in the saying that death is beautiful - morbidly so.

What would you do if the theme involved something that required the photograph’s overall meaning to go deeper?

“Doing okay?” Burgerpants asks, walking up beside you. The five of you are walking out of the campus, about to go your separate ways for the day. Temmie, Max, and Napstablook will be heading back to their shared apartment while Burgerpants is going back to the apartment he shares with his boyfriend.

“Yeah,” you reply. “Why?”

He shrugs. “Just checking.”

“You seem a bit distracted,” Max adds.

“I’m just a little worried about the project. No big deal.”

“you’ll be fine,” Napstablook reassures, smiling at you. “you have a great eye, you know.”

“Thanks,” you reply.

Despite the reassurances of your friends, however, you can’t help but continue to feel anxious.

…

After you’ve bid your friends goodbye, you find yourself standing at Muffet’s once more, requesting your typical order before going to stand to the side.

Like yesterday, though, a flash of green catches your attention as none other than Chara Dreemurr himself saunters up to the counter. He doesn’t seem to have noticed you yet, so you watch him with a small smirk.

Once more, he orders his dark chocolate donuts and coffee. He seems lost in thought, but as soon as he turns towards your direction, his face lights up upon seeing you.

“Hey!” he greets. You nod at him.

“How are you doing?” you question.

“Better now that you’re here,” he replies without missing a beat.

“Oh my stars, stop that!” you demand through light laughter. He always manages to catch you off guard with his cheesy pick-up lines.

“Never!” he responds in a singsong tone.

You hear Muffet call out your name, so you go to grab your order. Soon after, Chara is called too.

“Ready to head out?” Chara asks.

“I think so.”

…

The walk to the library isn’t too far, but it is a nice opportunity to get some fresh air after being inside for the majority of the day. Chara is already munching on one of his donuts while you’re sipping on your drink.

“Do you have magic?” Chara questions out of the blue from beside you.

You nod, smiling a bit. “Yes I do.  _ Fotografiakinesis _ , the manipulation of photographs.”

“Really? Cool! I imagine that’s pretty helpful considering your major.”

You shrug. “I guess so. I prefer taking pictures by myself, though.”

Chara tilts his head sideways for a second, a serious expression planted on his face.

“Let’s test that out, then. See which one is better,” he suggests, stepping in front of you. “Take two pictures of me - one wiith your magic and one with your camera.”

“I will when you’re not looking. But be warned - I don’t have my good camera on me. Just my phone.”

“That’ll do,” he replies. “Why not now?”

“Because you’re aware. And when you’re aware, you try too hard to look good.”

He scoffs. “I  _ always _ look good.”

Deciding to mess with him, you shoot him a questioning glance before walking past him. “Are you sure about that?”

You hear him gasp in mock offense, causing you to snicker a bit.

“I’m cute!” he nearly yells. “Your pictures will prove it.”

“Okay, then. If you say so.”

“You don’t think I’m cute?” he says with a pout that, you hate to admit,  _ is  _ actually kind of cute.

“I didn’t say that,” you reply, chuckling.

“So you  _ do  _ think I’m cute.”

“I didn’t say that, either.”

“But you’re not denying it.”

“True. But I’m not confirming it either.”

Chara huffs. “I’ll show you how cute I am. Just you wait.”

“You do that, Chara.”

“I will.”

…

Soon enough, the two of you have arrived at the library and are getting settled. The both of you pull out your respective laptops, plug them in to the table charger, and begin.

While you weren’t used to photographing people (magically or physically), you did have an idea of what made portraits of people so...intriguing when done right.

Photographers that truly capture the truth behind humanity are the ones that are most successful. You strive to at least try to freeze some of those moments in time - starting with the boy next to you.

Chara is deep in concentration, and from the way he’s scratching his head, you can tell he’s frustrated about something. You’re not sure whether it’s from his work or something else, but he’s too lost in thought to notice you staring.

A few minutes later, you can tell he has become sick of whatever he’s dealing with, and the moment you’ve been waiting for finally comes to light.

His eyebrows furrow and his eyes narrow while a smirk forms on his lips. He sits up straighter and begins typing aggressively on his computer.

With that, you close your eyes and visualize the moment in your head before lowering your dominant hand underneath the table and summoning the picture’s physical form. You feel magic leaking out of your SOUL and into the photograph. Once it’s done, you glance at it before smirking a little yourself and tucking it away for the time being, having a feeling that it’ll come in handy to prove a point later on.

After that, you continue studying and doing your work, right up until you’re supposed to go home. Your second photo opportunity comes when Chara finally realizes it’s time for the two of you to leave.

A small, relieved smile is plastered on his face, but his eyes look tired. Once more, his dimples are visible, so with your phone at the ready, you snap a picture. Again, he doesn’t notice, but you chuckle a little and shut your phone off after viewing the result.

…

“You should take a picture before we have to go to our homes.”

“I already did,” you say, chuckling.

Just like you thought, his eyes widen in surprise. “How? When?”

“Before I answer that, let me ask you something else,” you begin, smirking. “I think I know what SOUL type you are. One picture captured all that I needed to know. The way you were thinking about whatever it was that had you stumped, your facial expression, the emotion behind your eyes, your body language. And then, the moment you realized how you could overcome that challenge,” you say before pulling out the first photograph and handing it to him. It’s in the relative shape of a typical polaroid print, but it has tiny, red hearts decorating its border. 

You feel pride swelling in your chest as you observe his shocked face when he views it before continuing: “You, Chara Dreemurr, are a DETERMINATION SOUL.”

A few seconds later, he barks out a laugh, eyes blown wide. “That’s incredible. Absolutely incredible. You’re damn good, you know that?”

You don’t really agree, but there’s no way you’re going to tell him that. “Of course I do, idjit.”

“This was the one I took on my phone,” you say, raising it up to him.

“What? It looks like you did that with magic too...what’s the difference? I mean, they’re both good, don’t get me wrong.”

You chuckle, putting your phone away. “I’ll tell you some other time.”

After a few more minutes of chatting, the both of you head home - you with a lingering smile on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and tell us what you think :D


	4. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, readers! Got an extra long update for y'all today :) We just wanted to say thank you all real quick for all the support! Each and every comment that we have gotten has made us so happy :D Please let us know what you think in the comments :3 Have an amazing day!

**Chapter IV - Home**

In the next week, you and Chara grow to be pretty good friends. He comes into the shop each morning and buys one bar of chocolate. After his purchase (and a few pick-up lines) he asks if you want to study, and then goes on his way. You personally think that it's a very strange way to communicate, so on Wednesday, you exchange phone numbers. That went something like this:

You slide a jar of peppermint candy into its rightful place just as the doorbell rings. You stand and grin when you see Chara. 

He walks up to the counter and places a dark chocolate bar on the counter. You ring him up and lean on the counter with a smirk. 

“Y’know, Chara…” you start. “Instead of coming to the store every morning to say hi, why don’t you just ask for my number?” 

He places the chocolate in his backpack and gives you a lopsided smile. “Because then I wouldn't get my chocola- wait what?” 

You laugh. He’s definitely starting to blush. “Are you blushing?” He looks anywhere but at you.

“No!”

“You sure are!” you say in a singsong manner. “Come on, hand me your phone.”

He gives his phone to you and you put your number in, making the name: (Y/N)! He hands your phone back and you see that he put his name as Chara <3\. You shake your head, blushing slightly and bid him goodbye, with the promise to meet up at Muffet’s later. 

Well, now that Chara had your number, you text back and forth constantly:

**[2:18 PM, Wednesday]**

**Chara <3: hey sunshine ** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**You: Hey. Wyd?**

**Chara <3: in class atm, but i don’t really care about the lecture tbh haha**

**Chara <3: i’d much rather be talking to you ;)**

**You: Dude. Make sure you’re at least taking notes. Or recording it.**

**Chara <3: ik ik lol. mom would kill me if i let my grades drop. anyways, wyd???**

**You: just got out of my morning class, hanging out at the store for now**

**Chara <3: cool. i’ll come meet you after class so we can go for our usual study break…?**

**You: sure :)**

**Chara <3: yay :D**

**[5:29 PM, Wednesday]**

**Chara <3: good session today. get home ok?**

**You: yep! you too :D**

**[7:43 AM, Thursday]**

**Chara <3: coming in for more chocolate and to see the light of my life ** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**You: counting on it :D**

**[3:24 AM, Friday]**

**Chara <3: what color is a mirror**

**You: chara**

**You: what the fuck**

**Chara <3: you dont understand**

**Chara <3: i ** **_need_ ** **to know**

**You: Chara! You have three tests tomorrow! Go! To! Sleep!**

**Chara <3: :(**

**You: but if you must know, it’s whatever color that is being reflected in it. Fun fact: mirrors reflect green the best**

**Chara <3: :)**

**[9:06 AM, Saturday]**

**Chara <3: Is lasagna a savory cake? **

**You: Well good morning to you too.**

**You: And i guess?**

**You: Why?**

**Chara <3: Azzy asked me. Idk why, but he asked me last night and i couldn't sleep last nite bcuz of it**

**You: Well then, tell him that it is**

**Chara <3: but**

**Chara <3: but it has sauce...and stuff...**

**You: Have you eaten yet?**

**Chara <3: Why? Askin me out? ** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**You: Go eat, Chara**

**You: you’ll feel better**

**Chara <3: you know me so well…**

**[10:34 AM, Sunday]**

**Chara <3: hey, sunshine <3**

**Chara <3: wyd?**

**You: hey Chara :)**

**You: i’m tryin to clean my room**

**You: hbu?**

**Chara <3: the sibs blackmailed me into playin Smash.**

**Chara <3: just got my ass kicked by kirby**

**You: Hah! You got beaten by a 10 and an 11 year old?**

**Chara <3: Hey! they're tough! And i’ll have you know that I’m very good with pikachu!**

**You: Yeah sure, Chara**

**You: I could definitely beat you AND the kids.**

**Chara <3: I’ll tell them that**

**Chara <3: they don’t believe you, and frankly, neither do i >:P**

**You: Aha, well you’ll have to see, huh?**

**Chara <3: its a challenge then!**

**You: Heck yeah >:)**

**[7:12 AM, Monday]**

**Chara <3: Hey sunshine <3**

**Chara <3: You up to study later today?**

**You: Sure!**

**You: I’ll bring some chocolate from the store**

**Chara <3: fuck yes**

**You: lol**

**You: see ya then, Chara :)**

… 

Frisk and Asriel’s letter in hand, you cautiously eye the door, thinking it’s the right house. A few seconds later, you knock firmly three times. The door opens a few minutes later, revealing a large, white goat monster. This one is bigger than Toriel - much bigger - and you notice that the door’s size (as well as the ceiling) have been raised in order to accommodate him.

“Howdy!” he begins. You recognize him as King Asgore, recalling what you’ve seen on the news about him. “You must be (Y/N)!”

You nod and stick your hand out. “It’s an honor to meet you, King Asgore.”

A loud laugh rumbles out of his chest as he returns the handshake. “Just Asgore is fine, dear. Come in, come in! Toriel is just about ready.”

“Thank you,” you reply before walking inside, being sure to take your shoes off when you see that everyone else’s have been neatly set and lined up on a rug beside the door.

“Toriel informed me of the situation a few days ago…” he releases a heavy sigh. “I despise the fact that I cannot protect my children from the cruelty of this world.”

“It’s not your fault,” you reassure, smiling a little. “As terrible as that is, it’s a part of life - a nasty one that they’ll have to learn to deal with themselves. But judging what I’ve seen from TV, those two kids are a heck of a lot stronger than society gives them credit for.”

He returns your smile and guides you into the kitchen. “You are absolutely right. Thank you.”

You nod in response. “You’re welcome.”

Toriel is at the oven, pulling out a large pie. “Oh, child, you’ve made it! How are you this evening?”

“I’m well, how are you?”

“Just fine!” she replies. “Dinner is just about finished.”

You hear a couple of pairs of footsteps running down the stairs. The three of you turn to see Frisk and Asriel there.

“Hey!” Frisk says.

“You’re here!” Asriel yells. “Come on, we gotta play Smash!”

And that’s how you find yourself on the couch, playing many different matches and winning most of them. The kids talk big game, and they’re actually really good! But you’ve been playing Smash for a long time, so you and your character of choice are wiping the floor. 

“Well, well, well,” interrupts a voice. You turn to see Chara standing at the base of the stairs, smirking a little bit.

“Oh that’s right! You haven’t met Chara yet!” Frisk says.

“Nah, I’ve met her,” Chara replies, grinning widely before walking over to you and slinging an arm around your shoulders, causing you to shake your head in exasperation. “I missed you  _ so _ much, sunshine!”

“Dude, we finished studying together like...two hours ago.”

“You already know each other?!” Asriel asks incredulously. “How?”

“See, that’s the power of being the oldest,” Chara replies, releasing you. “I can actually drive. I just went to see her after mom brought you guys home. Turns out...she’s a keeper.” He turns to face you and winks.

You roll your eyes. “You’re so lame.”

“Am not,” he coos. “Anyways. I recall you being a bit too cocky about your skills with Smash? Saying you could take on the Dreemurrs as a team? Care to attempt to back up that  _ utterly foolish  _ claim?”

Smirking, you grab a controller and wave it in his face, lowering your voice. “Bring it on.”

You choose your character and color of choice. “Just so you know,” you begin. “I’ve been playing this since I was young.”

Frisk and Asriel look scared, but Chara snorts. “It’s gonna be us three versus you, though,” he states smugly. 

“Then it’s a fair fight,” you state with a wink.

You switch the game to team battle and the rest choose their characters. They pick a stage and the game begins.

It starts pretty well, for you at least. You knock out Asriel’s Fox, then Chara’s Pikachu. Frisk, however, gets you with a red shell, causing you to gasp dramatically and declare that you are losing your touch, which gets them and Asriel giggling. Asriel and Chara team up and throw you off the stage, but you get Asriel back with a POW block. Frisk finally loses a life due to your character throwing a projectile just right, making you whoop loudly. Chara grabs the item you were planning on taking which makes you huff and stick your tongue out at him. Frisk gets hit by the stage and loses another life. 

“Ahh! Chara!” you yelp as his Pikachu hits you with a perfectly timed thunderbolt. He grins at you.

“Can’t take it, (Y/N)?”

You pout and lean forward, concentrating on the game more. You get his Pikachu off the side with a combo and grin at him, proud of your cool move.

He looks impressed, but doesn’t say so, instead taking the opportunity to take one of your items again.

The game goes on until you finally win. You can’t help but be extremely proud. The Dreemurr siblings congratulate you and spend a couple of minutes talking about things that happened during the game.

“Oh! And then when (Y/N) combo’ed Chara with that awesome forward aerial! Oh that was so cool!”

You laugh and admit that you were actually worried near the end, considering how good the Dreemurrs were. You decide to do one more match. This time with two players on each team.

“Oh my…” Toriel comes in a few minutes later. “Well, I hope you all are having fun. (Y/N), have you met our eldest?”

“Yep, about a week ago,” you answer, smiling. “He came by the day after you came to pick the kids up. We’ve been studying together at the library ever since.”

Toriel giggles, glancing at Chara. “I see. That’s where you’ve been disappearing off to, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he replies somewhat sheepishly.

His mother shoots him another sly grin before she changes the subject. “In any case, my children, dinner is ready.”

“Yay!”

…

Tonight, Toriel has prepared a lasagna with salad, rolls, and mini baked potatoes. You’re quietly eating, listening as the family talks. Toriel and Asgore are sitting at the heads of the table while you and Chara are one side and Frisk and Asriel the other.

“Have you all finished your schoolwork for the day?” Asgore asks, eyeing the three.

“Me and Azzy did it all earlier,” Frisk answers.

“I’m almost done, just gotta finish one of my papers…” Chara replies with a sigh. “That’s going to take a while.”

“Is that the one you were working on earlier?” you question, looking at your friend.

“Yep,” he replies.

“Are you in college too?” Toriel asks, looking at you expectantly.

“I am! I’m going for a major in photography.”

“Very artistic!” Asgore compliments. “Hmm...that reminds me. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but as you are likely able to tell, I am not able to work well with small electrical devices.” You nod, thinking of his large, furry hands. “But, I’ve been wanting to display photographs of my garden in our home. We have allotted space and frames for the pictures. I just need a photographer. Tell me, dear, would you be willing to do this for me? I would gladly pay you for your time.”

Your eyes widen as you set your fork down on your plate, heart racing. No one has ever commissioned you like this. It shocks you to even think that Asgore would make such an offer without even seeing any of your work beforehand.

“Really? I mean, without seeing any of my pieces…?” you reply.

Asgore nods. “Certainly! I can sense it in your SOUL, you know. What do you say?”

“I...I would love to!” you cry, unable to prevent your smile from breaking out as Toriel chuckles.

“Well, are you available tomorrow morning?” you question. You can probably get one of your family members to take over your shift, so that won’t be an issue, and you should be done before class starts. Worst comes to worst you would be a tad bit late, but you could get your friends to tell you what you missed. Not to mention that Professor Jefferson would be fascinated at the idea of one of his students being commissioned.

“Yes, that would work,” Asgore replies. “Would eight o’clock be alright with you?”

You nod. “Of course.”

“Then it’s settled. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Oh wait, (Y/N), that reminds me,” Chara speaks up. You turn to look at him.

“What is it?”

“After dinner, I need to show you something.”

“Okay. Better not be your diary of googled pick-up lines.” Asriel and Frisk burst out in giggles at your joke.

“Chara, are you still in that habit?” Toriel questions, eyes narrowed.

“His pick-up lines suck!” Frisk yells. “I apologize on your behalf. This is how you do it.”

With that, they kneel in front of you, taking your hand in theirs. “I was wondering if you had an extra heart, because mine was just stolen.”

“How is that any better?!” Chara responds before slinging an arm around your shoulder and looking into your eyes. He winks once more before saying: “I’m no photographer, but I can picture us together.” Chara begins nodding, looking towards Frisk. “See, that one was good because she’s  _ actually  _ a photographer.”

“Oh my stars,” you say, burying your face in your hands while giggling. “They’re still terrible.”

“That’s enough, children,” Toriel says, a little smile on her face.

“Yeah,  _ Frisk _ ,” Chara comments. “Now come on!”

...

You follow Chara up the stairs and into a hallway. He walks past two doors and stops at the last one in the corridor. He turns in and you follow. Once he faces you, he throws his arm up in a manner of display.

“Welcome to my room.”

It’s a nice, well-lit room with faded green walls. A desk with his laptop and a stack of books on top is pushed against the wall. Next to the desk is a tall dresser with various knick-knacks and pictures on it. Some of the dressers' drawers have stickers all over it, which makes you chuckle. A messy, but made bed with a green duvet is in the corner, with a backpack on it. Chara goes to the dresser and opens the bottom drawer. He rustles around in it, giving you more time to look around. A short bookshelf sits at the foot of the bed, filled with both schoolbooks and fantasy novels. Affixed to the wall is a bulletin board, where all kinds of things are pinned. You see pictures of him with his family, with other monsters (two of which are Sans and Papyrus), and with some unfamiliar people. You also spy various notes to himself, reminders, and other things.

A look upon another wall reveals several childish drawings displayed - some in frames, others pinned. You note that a few of them are drawings of him and his family, which leads you to think one of his siblings drew it, while another set of pictures seem to have been drawn by someone younger.

Chara finds what he’s looking for and stands. He stops by his dresser and picks up two pieces of paper. He flashes them to you, and you see that they are not paper but the pictures you took of him.

“You kept those?” you ask, smiling a little.

“Of course,” he replies. “I was gonna show them to my dad.”

Chuckling again, you nod, brushing a bit of hair back behind your ear. “Alright then.”

“Also…” Chara moves back to his dresser’s open drawer, where he takes out a metal box. From where you’re standing, you can see that there’s a white label on the top. You can’t read what’s written on it, though. He sets it on his desk, gazing at it for a moment before he unlatches the metal lock and flips the lid open. You can’t see what’s inside yet, but he reaches in and grabs whatever it is.

“This...this belonged to my biological grandmother,” he speaks softly in an uncharacteristic manner for him. “She passed years ago, and many of her belongings were inherited by me. They were all in a storage room while I was in the Underground…”

“I’m sorry,” you murmur, walking up beside him and placing a hand on his arm. He looks up and smiles at you.

“Thank you. I’m sure she’s in a better place now,” he says before lifting the object up. Your eyes widen upon viewing what it is.

It’s a camera. Definitely an older model, judging by its shape. It’s got to be a Polaroid Impulse.

“Wow!” you say, taking a closer look. “A Polaroid 600 Impulse? Incredible. That’s from, like, the eighties, right?”

He nods. “Late eighties, at least. She used it a lot, mainly taking pictures of us, heh,” he says, huffing out a dry laugh. “But anyways, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want you to have it.”

“Chara…” you say, raising your hand to the skin above your sternum. “I...I’m touched, trust me, but...I can’t accept that-”

“No, I insist,” he replies, holding it out towards you. “She always told me to ‘take lots of pictures during my young years’ but I’m no good with it. It would be better off in your hands. She loved pictures of all kinds, nature too, and I know you’re good with that kind of thing.”

For a moment, you find yourself speechless as he hands the camera to you, your fingers brushing momentarily. He was clearly close to his grandmother, and this must have been a big decision for him. You feel tears building up behind your eyes at the amount of sentimentality he’s displayed.

Words cannot describe how happy you are. Instead of saying anything, you step closer to him and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. You rest your head on his collar bone while he snakes his arms around your waist and sets his chin in the crook of your neck. You’re immediately confronted by the sweet, combined scents of chocolate, old books, and a faint touch of roses.

“Thank you so much,” you mumble into his shoulder, closing your eyes for a moment.

“You’re welcome,” he replies. A few moments later, you pull away. He’s gazing at you with a warm smile, which you return.

“Should we get back downstairs?” he asks.

You nod and follow him back down. Toriel is by the counter of the kitchen, cutting slices of her pie and distributing them out to the kids and Asgore.

“Dad, look.” Chara places down the two pictures you took of him in front of Asgore, who takes a look. “Guess which one she took with magic.”

“Magic?” the king questions, staring intently at each of the photos. “I can’t tell. Toriel, which of these pictures was taken with magic?”

“Hmmm, you have that ability, child?” Toriel asks as she hands you and Chara two plates.

“Yeah, I can control and manipulate photographs. That includes taking my own magically.”

“Amazing,” Asgore replies. “I don’t know. What do you think, Tori?”

“This one feels like it has more magical energy,” Toriel replies, holding the picture with the red hearts.

“That’s cheating!” Chara protests.

“But you are right,” you interfere, smiling.

“These are fantastic pictures,” Toriel replies, looking at the second one in particular with a soft smile. “This one is absolutely adorable. Look, Chara, your dimples are showing!”

“Mom!” Chara cries. She giggles, taking both of the pictures so she can hang them up on the fridge.

You suddenly remember the camera Chara had given you and tuck it away in your bag carefully, making a mental note to pick up some film for it the next time you go to your local camera shop with your friends.

Toriel then returns to the giant pie. She cuts two slices for you and Chara.

“Thank you, Toriel,” you reply, smiling. “This looks and smells fantastic.”

“Mom’s pie is the best,” Chara adds, grinning at you with his cheeks stuffed with pie. You take a bite and are immediately in love with the captivating but balanced blend of butterscotch and cinnamon mixed with warm and slightly crunchy crust. It’s perfection at its finest.

“This is incredible…” you say as you refrain yourself from devouring the entire thing. Instead, you force yourself to take small bites so you can enjoy it.

You notice that it’s dark outside, so you decide that you should start heading out soon. You play one more round of Smash with the kids and Chara before you take your leave, thanking the Dreemurrs for having you, giving the kids some Smash pointers, and waving Chara goodbye while promising the two of you would meet up to study the following day.

…

Soon enough, you find yourself humming happily as you drive to the Dreemurr house once more.  _ Man, I just can’t get that song out of my head! _ You’re both really excited and nervous at the idea of your first paid photography job. 

When you had told your family, they were all so proud and excited that Mom broke out the (f/f) ice cream. Dustin offered to take your morning shift so that you could make it; you’ll definitely have to do something for him in return.

You turn into the driveway, trying to quell the butterflies in your stomach. You get out of the car and walk up to the door. You knock three times and check your bag.  _ Hah, at least I brought my camera! _

_ …  _

_ WAIT DID I BRING MY CAMERA?  _ You panic and root around in the bag. A relieved sigh escapes you.  _ I have my camera, thank the stars. _ You’re startled out of your thoughts by two giggles on the other side of the door. 

“Who’s there?”

You’re confused at first, but quickly see what’s happening. You try to think of a joke. “Ummm. Dishes.”

More giggles on the other side. “Dishes who?”

You grin. “Dishes a very bad knock knock joke.” The bad joke slightly relieves your anxiety. The door swings open, revealing Frisk and Asriel, both trying not to laugh.

“That’s an old one, (Y/N)!” Frisk complains. You put your hands on your hips.

“Well I had no time to prepare any material!” They laugh and the two scamper off to the kitchen. You follow and find Toriel, who is handing each kid a plate of waffles. The children then scamper off to the dining room.

“Uh... Good morning, Toriel!” Toriel turns with another plate.

“Good morning, (Y/N)! Would you like a plate of waffles before you go to take pictures?”

“Um, I think I’ll be good! Thank you though!” - is what you said. So how did you end up at the table with a plate full of waffles? You voice this thought and Frisk laughs. 

“Mom somehow gets everyone to eat,” they say, shoving waffles into their mouth.

“Yeah!” Asriel chimes in. “Every time the electrician or the plumber comes, Mom always feeds them.”

You laugh and dig in; the waffles are really good. They’re fluffy, warm, and delicious. You chat with the kids for a bit while they eat.

“Where’s Chara?”

Frisk wiggles their eyebrows. “Your  _ boyfriend  _ is still sleeping. I think he was up studying last night.”

You turn a light shade of red. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s a friend.” 

Asriel giggles, so you ignore them and stand and take your plate to the kitchen.

“Thank you for the waffles, Toriel!” you say, handing her the plate. She takes it and smiles.

“You're welcome, child. If you would like to start taking pictures, Asgore is out in the garden,” she says. You thank her and ask for directions to the garden. After receiving them, you grab your bag and head out the back sliding door, where you see Asgore in the garden watering his plants.

“Good morning, Asgore,” you state, smiling.

He turns to you and smiles. “Good morning. About ready to begin?”

You nod. “What exactly do you want pictures of?”

“Anything you think looks nice,” he replies. “Will you be able to send them to me digitally?”

“Yes, I brought my Nikon, as well as a SD card so I can transfer it to you when I’m finished.”

He nods before listing the amount of pictures he’ll need as well as their dimensions. After taking a few notes on your phone, you say you have everything you need before getting to work. 

“Also, I have a pile of wilted or damaged flowers back there,” he states. “You are free to use those as you please.” Asgore thanks you once more before stepping back inside the house.

It’s sunny and warm today, making it a great day for vivid and cheery pictures. Eyes wide with excitement, you step into the garden and already know you’re going to have a field day in here.

You’re standing on a pathway of slate that circles around a tiny water fountain in the middle of the garden, and goes beyond that. Bordering each side of the pathways are bushes of lavender. You find yourself growing more and more excited upon seeing butterflies and bees zipping around. Behind the lavender plants is a line of rose bushes.

You step closer to the fountain and peer at it. The statue is of...a monster, you think. It’s got horns near the head, which is bowed down a bit. You notice a hole has been carved in the hand to make it look like it’s grasping the stone umbrella it’s holding. Looking to the top of the umbrella, you find it has been inverted into a bowl shape. A little yellow bird monster is splashing around in the water playfully.

“Hi there!” you coo, smiling at him. He chirps at you, and you pull your Nikon camera out, turning in on.

“Mind if I snap some pics?” you mumble. The bird tilts his head at you, and you snap a picture before taking a look.

Once it loads, you see the little bird with a tilted head and curious expression. It did manage to focus in time too, so the texture of his wet feathers is captured as well. The background is blurred out, but provides a dark contrast of green.

You then place the camera’s strap around your neck and leave it to hang there for a moment while you also pull out Chara’s camera and aim it at the bird. Hey - you don’t get exposed to such a lovely garden everyday. Surely a few pictures for yourself wouldn’t hurt. Once again, he makes the same face and you press the button. The camera flashes and whirs as it dispenses the photo, which is black as of right now. You shake it a bit and decide that you’ll wait for it to develop. For the time being, you place it somewhere safe.

“You’re very photogenic!” you compliment, turning your Nikon camera around so he can see the result of the first photo. When he views it, he chirps happily once more and flaps his wings, splashing some more water around. Giggling, you thank him and decide to leave him to his little bath.

Now, you turn to the lavender, humming to yourself as you crouch down. You zoom in, change to your macro lens, and capture the texture and vividity of the plants. You also find little insects crawling around, so you do your best to capture those as well. The roses are next, so you carefully hop over the lavender bushes and have a look.

The sound of buzzing catches your attention, and soon, you find a fat little bumblebee cruising towards one of the bushes. Gasping, you follow it until it lands on the flower, pulling out your camera and taking a few pictures of it. You know that once you edit it, it’ll look gorgeous. It still looks pretty as it is, though.

After the bee goes along its merry way, you move back to the path. Passing the statue, you find that the bushes of lavender have ended and are replaced with lines of buttercups.

You crouch down again, but this time, you lay on your belly before raising your camera and pointing it at the rows of buttercups. If you angle it and focus it just right, you’ll be able to blur the background out while simultaneously catching the tips of the buttercups. The blurred background will be dark green, since you’re pointing it at a row of evergreen trees.

Once again, you take a few pictures, some from different angles before standing and looking around. Your gaze falls on the wooded area of the garden. A bit of movement on the forest floor catches your eye.

Staring at you from its position is a little squirrel. You immediately raise your Nikon and snap a few pictures before it scampers up a tree and out of sight.

You spy a pile of cut flowers out towards the side; those must be the ones Asgore told you about. There are roses, buttercups, and other flowers too. An idea occurs to you as you pick up the fallen flowers before returning to the statue.

The little bird is gone, sadly. With your camera hanging around your neck and the flowers cradled towards your chest, you pick up a wilted rose before slipping its stem into the grasp of the statue. There’s enough space between the hand and the umbrella to where you can stick the stem in and have the flower poking out. It’s a nice burst of color, even if the flower is a little wilted.

There are other cracks in the statue, so you slip in both buttercups and roses wherever they can fit. Soon enough, the statue is covered in withered flowers. You step back and kneel, raising your camera and adjusting your lens until it focuses in properly.

Pressing the button again, you hear it click once before looking at the screen and viewing it. Nodding in satisfaction, you think of a few ways that you can edit it before taking all of the flowers out and carrying them all back to where you found them.

After that, you photograph orchids, lilies, carnations, daisies, tulips, peonies...the list goes on. You’re out there for a while, taking various pictures of insects, plants, and structures.

...

Chara walks down the hallway, rubbing at his eyes. He had spent most of the night before studying, so he accidentally slept past greeting you this morning. He steps down the stairs with a yawn and walks into the dining room. The kids are at the table doing schoolwork with Mom, a scene that makes Chara smile. He walks up and hugs his mother. 

“Mornin’, Mom.”

“Good morning, Chara. Did you sleep well?”

Chara mutters an affirmation and ruffles the hair of his siblings’ heads, causing them to giggle and fix their hair.

“Chara, dear, there’s some waffle batter on the stove top. I can cook some waffles for you, if you’d like,” Mom offers.

Chara nods. “Thanks, Mom!” She smiles at him and walks into the kitchen. Chara sits next to Asriel at the table.

“Is (Y/N) here?” Asriel and Frisk exchange a look before Frisk smirks. 

“Yup! She’s out in the garden,” they say slyly. “She asked about you.”

Chara tries to keep his expression neutral, knowing that his siblings would tease him regardless of his response. He desperately wants to know what you asked, but doesn’t want to deal with the teasing. He stands.

“I’ll go check up on her.”

“Yeah, go get your girlfriend!” Frisk calls.

Chara walks out of the room, ignoring Frisk and clearing the blush from his face. He opens the sliding door and steps out, squinting at how bright it is. He walks through the garden, looking for you. He lifts his head, hearing something. __

_ Is that (Y/N) humming? _ He finally sees you. You’re snapping a picture of a small bird - specifically, the Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap - his yellow wings fluttering as he splashes around in the water. You mutter something to the bird that he can’t hear and move through the garden, humming gently as you pause to take pictures. Chara follows at a distance, watching you. He loves the way you look when you work - so carefree and relaxed.

He continues watching you for a while, too lost in thought when you wander up the path right next to his hiding spot. A girly little squeal interrupts his thinking.

“Chara!” you say, your hand over your heart. “You scared me! What, uh...what are you doing?”

He shakes off his flustered state before smirking and standing. “Just admiring the view,” he says with a wink.

“What?” you ask. “What are you…”

“You’re very animated when taking pictures, you know that? And what was that tune you were humming? It was catchy!”

“You were watching?” you respond, looking down quietly. He chuckles and goes to lift your chin up, gazing at you in your shock.

“Just a little,” he admits, smiling. “Are you finished?”

“I think so,” you reply before your face lights up, as if you’re remembering something. “Oh, and look! I used the camera you gave me! The pictures I took on it turned out very well!” 

“I’m glad to hear it. Have they developed yet?”

“Here,” you say, taking them out of your bag and handing them to him.

“Wow, these look really nice,” he compliments before he flips to the picture of the bird. “Ah, I see you met the Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap.”

“That little, yellow bird? He was adorable!”

“I know. He’s a determined little thing, isn’t he?”

You nod in agreement before you trail off, frowning a little bit.

“Wait a second…” you start. Chara can tell you’re thinking hard about something. Your eyes widen suddenly as a little gasp escapes you. “Wait! If Asgore and Toriel are the King and Queen of the Underground...then does that mean you’re the Prince? Have I been addressing you incorrectly this entire time?!”

Chara chuckles lightly. “I was, technically, but I renounced it a while ago. That’s just not really my thing.” He pauses for a moment, eyeing you. “But, you know, if you want me to be your prince, then I wouldn’t object.”

Immediately, your panic ceases as you roll your eyes and start walking back. Chara follows after you.

“Sunshine! Come back!” You laugh as you navigate around trees and plants. You pause as you see a patch of zinnias. You grab the camera that Chara gave you and start to take a picture. You’re deep in thought, taking a picture of the flowers that you don’t notice Chara behind you, looking over your shoulder. You take the picture and turn around with a grin, ready to show it to Chara. You let out a startled squeak when you find him right behind you. You flail and almost fall into the flowers. Chara grabs you around the waist and pulls you close to keep you from toppling headfirst into the patch of zinnias. After getting your balance, you step away from Chara with a blush.

“Um, sorry,” you laugh nervously. Chara winks with a slight blush on his face. 

“I didn't know that you had fallen for me so quickly!” He laughs, scratching the back of his head.

“Boo,” you tease. “Let’s head back. I want to get these pictures ready to give to your dad.”

Chara nods and you both walk back to the house. 

**…**

**[10:37 AM, Wednesday]**

**You: GUYS. Got a new camera yesterday. We have to go film shopping/pic printing today**

**Max: what???**

**Max: spill**

**You: a friend of mine gave me his old one. Polaroid 600 impulse. It’s fucking gorgeous**

**You: also i got commissioned :D**

**BP: what??? That’s awesome, congrats**

**Naps: yay! congratulations :)**

**You: thanks guys. I am so fn hyped omggggggg. Made a late-night trip to the store and bought some film for it so I could test it out**

**Max: who’s it for?**

**You: the King of Monsters, Asgore**

**BP: htf did you do that lmao**

**You: long story, i’ll tell you guys tomorrow**

**You: anyways, night everyone <3**

**Max: good night. Sleep well everyone, don’t stay up too late**

**BP: ^^^**

**Naps: good night :)**

**[10:43 AM, Wednesday]**

**You: hey Chara, my friends and I need to pick up some film from the local photography store after class so I might be a little late at today’s session, sorry!**

**Chara <3: that’s okay :) I’ll be waiting~**

**You: ok :D thanks**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :D


	5. Unnecessary Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Chapter V- Unnecessary Tension**

“The colors on this one work so well together!”

“Where did you find a statue like that?”

“I bet there’s some big symbolism behind that one.”

Your friends are crowded around your desk, commenting on the pictures you had taken at Asgore’s garden. Late last night, you had finally finished editing the ones you took digitally before sending them all to the shop to be printed before your group went to stock up on camera supplies.

You giggle lightly, admiring your pictures proudly. “Thanks guys.”

“Well, what do we have here?” comes another voice. You all turn to see Professor Jefferson standing there, looking down at your pictures.

Gasping, your eyes widen. “Oh, Professor...just some pictures I took for a commission yesterday.”

“Really? Let me have a look.” Max and BP make room for him to sit beside all of you.

“The detail and color on this one is astounding,” he comments, picking it up and observing it closely. “And this one here...filled with life.” He sets two of the pictures down before taking the photograph of the Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap and examining it carefully. Your heart is racing.

“You captured its curiosity...its wonder…” he trails off before looking at the picture of the statue. He picks it up as well before looking up at you. “You said these were for a commission, correct? I assume you have digital copies of these?”

“Yes, sir,” you reply, turning your laptop towards him. He clicks through your edited digital photos before nodding in approval and holding up the two physical pictures.

“Email me copies of these two pictures. The ones of the bird and the statue. You’ll be receiving extra credit for these. Excellent job, Miss (Y/N).” With that, he sets the two pictures down before walking towards the front of the classroom.

“Thank you!” you call with a huge grin on your face.

Max turns to you, an incredulous expression on her face. “Dude!”

“Extra credit?!” BP says. “Damn, I mean, I understand why he did it.”

“I can’t believe it…” you mumble.

“none of us really display our work out in the open like aside from our sharing sessions…” Napstablook adds.

“But then again, we’re not really as into photography as those two are,” Burgerpants replies, gesturing to you and Max.

“gUD jOB!” Temmie cheers.

You smile warmly. “Thanks guys.”

“For reals, though,” Max says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “You did a great job. You should be proud.”

“I am,” you say.

A few minutes later, Professor Jefferson calls class into session.

“Hello, everyone!” he calls. “Settle down, settle down. I have an announcement to make.”

That shuts everyone up as you and your friends exchange nervous glances, already knowing what he’ll be discussing.

“Alright, so I know you guys have heard, but today, we’re going over the requirements for your final project. I’ve posted it up online, but it’s pretty general.”

Your heartbeat quickens as he continues; you’re especially nervous to hear the part about the theme.

“Your goal this year is to make an ensemble - whether that be a scrapbook, photobook, slideshow, collage, or a board - of pictures, all of which must fall under the theme, which I will discuss momentarily. You will have until two weeks before the semester ends to submit it. That’s about a month for you to work. And think about it - this isn’t a project you can really procrastinate on. Moments are ticking by as you breathe. Remember that. You must have at least twenty pictures on display. Your ensemble of choice must be neat and fit the theme, however you interpret it. It is true that this project is worth half of your grade, but I rarely have students fail it. Now, the theme I have chosen for this year is…” he pulls out a small envelope before tearing the top open and pulling out the paper and folding it open.

“Hand-in-Hand.”

Your heart drops a little. What would you do with a theme like that?

Hearing your friends commenting on it, you continue listening.

“I will be here if you all have questions. But, I will go ahead and tell you now that the only questions I will not answer are questions that involve what I’m looking for in terms of the theme as well as questions about what type of ensemble you can use. However, if you have questions about a specific type of ensemble and its physical requirements, then I’ll answer those. Remember that this theme is entirely up to your interpretation. As long as I know where you’re coming from, and you explain your interpretation of it in your photos, then you’ll do well. You’re also free to edit them as you see fit. Now, enough of that. Today’s lecture is on…”

You tune out the majority of the lecture, absentmindedly taking notes as you rack your brain for ideas.

...

“What do you guys think about that theme?” Burgerpants asks as the five of you walk towards the photography store.

“I already think I know what I’m going to do,” Max speaks up.

That’s right - her style, while not as nature-focused as yours, mainly exposes the marks left by humanity. Her pictures were lovely - once she had shown you a picture she had taken of a beautiful blue butterfly settled on a silver bucket. She said she had given the original to a friend but was able to somehow recreate a digital version, which she had sent to you. Frequently, your friend group has picture exchanges where you all comment on each other’s photos for projects or assignments before swapping copies of your favorites. Once you all get your pictures printed today, you’ll do one of these swaps at the store’s front.

Max only uses a Polaroid Spectra, but her pictures were still beautiful while also carrying a sense of unknowingness to them. That’s what you love about her style - it’s so indirect but impactful at the same time.

A few minutes later, you all arrive at the shop. Burgerpants is the first to enter as you all pour in.

“Hullo, hullo!” greets the owner. Her name is Ms. Addington, one of the sweetest elderly women you’ve ever met. She runs this photography shop along with her middle-aged son, Warner, who you see here sometimes.

“Hi, Ms. Addington!” you reply. “How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m doing just fine! Have you all come to print more pictures and restock on film?”

“We have!” Burgerpants adds. “I think we all sent our orders in this morning?” He looks around at you all, and your group responds with a set of nods.

“We received them at noon! Warner is in the back getting them ready for you all. Please, feel free to have a look around and don’t hesitate to ask any questions!”

“Alright!”

You immediately walk over to the Polaroid film section alongside Max. She chuckles. “Usually this is my domain, but I’m not complaining.” She pulls out her Spectra, and you take your Impulse out as well. You both take a moment to admire your cameras before chuckling and browsing the different sizes of film. Once you find the correct size, you bring it to the counter in front of Ms. Addington with Max behind you.

“Hello dear,” she says before eyeing your purchase with a questioning gaze. “You don’t typically buy film.”

“I got a new camera. Well, I mean, it’s not new, but a friend of mine gave it to me. He said it belonged to his grandmother before she passed.”

“Aw, how sweet of him…” she replies. “May I take a look?”

You nod, reaching into your bookbag and taking the Impulse out before handing it to her. She studies it for a few moments with narrowed eyes.

“Lovely. A Polaroid 600 Impulse. I remember these came out in 1988. You can just tell it’s an older model by its looks alone.”

“I know. It’s a great camera - at least, for my style. That’s all that matters.”

She smiles before scanning the pack of film and telling you your total. After paying, you thank her and meet up with your friends, who are all gathered around the photo print pick-up counter. Ms. Addington’s son, Warner, is behind it, holding a thick stack of photos. White pieces of paper stick out from it, dividing the stack so that your photos don’t get mixed up.

“Alright, let me see if I can distribute all of your photos without your help this time,” Warner says, smiling a bit. He’s a middle-aged man with short, graying hair and dark eyes. He lifts the stack and pulls out the first group.

“Hm…” Warner begins, thumbing through the pictures. “All black-and-white. A very modern style. No nature pics. These are Napstablook’s.” He hands the first section of pictures to Napstablook.

“Next, we got a...hm, how do I say this...a very...solemn and empty style with an occasional touch of macabreness. I think these photos belong to Burgerpants.” Burgerpants nods and accepts his photos.

“And these…” Warner trails off, smiling a little. “These are almost entirely nature-focused. I see macroed pictures, animals, insects, plants...the little pieces of life captured forever. These can only belong to you.” Warner hands you your digital photos, your heart racing upon seeing them.

“Thank you!” you say, shuffling through them and admiring how they turned out.

He nods in reply. “And last, but not least, we have an abstract and colorful style that only makes sense to the photographer. Temmie, these are yours.”

“And Max, you still don’t take digital pictures?”

She shakes her head, holding her Spectra out. “This is my baby.”

Once you’re all finished, you bid the Addingtons goodbye while discussion your pictures and heading outside.

“Alright!” Burgerpants announces. “Time for our picture swap!”

Before you know it, you all are laying out your photos on a picnic table, being sure to block the wind by forming a human-monster barricade.

You all take a few minutes to observe each other’s work, commenting on their photos and getting flustered when they compliment yours.

“I’m taking this one,” BP announces, snatching one of the copies of the statue picture. Good thing you ordered a few extra copies since you wanted to hang one up in your room. “I love it.”

“Thanks. BP, I think I’ll take this one,” you eye a picture of an empty theater blurred out and focused on a pair of faded pink ballet shoes, which are dirty, worn out, and lightly stained with fake blood. Hey, that’s Burgerpants for you. You take a copy of the photo before securing it in your bag.

“i like this one,” Napstablook says, picking up the picture you took of the bird. “i saw him in waterfall a lot back when i lived in the underground. it makes me...happy.”

“Thank you! I’m glad to hear that. Here, I want this one.” You spy a black-and-white picture of a human sitting on a bench next to a city sculpture with his forehead in his palm, his frustration captured perfectly.

Max smiles at you. “Here, I want you to have this one. I think you’ll like it.” She hands you a Polaroid print of what appears to be a...translucent deer? How did she pull that off?! Its head is tipped up, but it looks so graceful and...enigmatic.

“Max…” you trail off, smiling a little. “How the hell did you…?”

She shrugs and smiles. “I don’t know. Life is strange, huh?”

You nod in agreement, a fuzzy feeling emanating in your gut. “It really is. Thank you, it’s beautiful.”

“I’ll snag this one.” Max picks up a picture of a portion of Asgore’s garden - a close-up of a bunch of blue and purple daffodils. “It reminds me of someone.”

“tEMMIE WulD lOIk tHIs oNE!” she cries, placing her paws on the pic you shot of the squirrel. She takes it as you view her selection.

“I like this one.” You pluck out a picture of a multicolored and textured paint pattern close-up. With that, you watch as they all exchange their photos as well before you all separate for the day. 

With new pictures in hand, you begin walking towards the library.

…

“Hey,” Chara greets as you arrive at your shared table. You smile at him and place your bag on the table.

“HI! Doing okay?”

He nods. “How’d it go?”

“It was fun! I’ll show you the pictures after we’re done here. They turned out really well.” You laugh, but can’t help but feel nervous as you remember that you were assigned the very project you’ve been dreading for a while now.

You set down your laptop with a sigh and plug the charger in. You sit at your seat and nervously tap on the desk. All through class, you had tried to think of ideas for the theme. You couldn't get it out of your head. Worrying thoughts bounced through your head:

 _What if I can’t think of anything? What if I fail? It counts as half of my grade! What do I do if I fail?_

You chew on your lip and shake your head. _No, I can’t think like this._ _I need to think positive! Not to mention that I can’t afford to retake this class. I can’t fail! Professor Jefferson likes my photos. I just need to think of what to do! Hand-in-Hand..._

“(Y/N)?” 

You lift your head, startled. Chara is looking at you, clearly concerned. _“_ Y-yeah?” 

“Are you alright?”

You smile. “Yeah! Why?”

He looks stern. “(Y/N).”

You drop your smile. “It's my assignment. Final project, to be exact. The theme is Hand-in-Hand, and I don’t know what to do for it.” You tell him about the specifics. When you’re done, he looks thoughtful.

“Hmm. Hand-in-hand? Well, first of all, you said this is entirely based on interpretation. What do you make of it, first of all?”

You fidget with your pen. “I don’t know! I can’t think of what to do! What does it mean? I only have a month, and I just... I don’t know.” You look down at your fidgeting hands.

Chara reaches across the table and lifts your chin up. You look at him.

“Hey, I know that you can figure it out! You’re smart and persistent. You wait for the right moment and when it comes, you’re ready. You can do this.” He pulls his hand away and sits back in his chair. 

Smiling at him smally, you nod. “Thanks, Chara.”

He grins. “Now, what’s the first thing that you think of when you hear that phrase?” he asks.

For a moment, you don’t say anything as you look off to the side and drift off into thought. What does it mean to you? At first, you think of more...literal meanings. Like couples holding hands. Friends having fun. Things like that.

But then, you find your gaze slipping towards a scene playing out in another area of the library. A short human is there, reaching for a book. A few moments later, however, a tall monster walks by and takes the book off of the shelf before handing it to the human. As soon as their hands connect, you magically take a picture before manifesting it in your hand and showing Chara.

“I think…” you trail off, trying to word your thoughts correctly. “I think this is how I interpret Hand-in-Hand. The unification of monsters and humans.”

Chara’s face lights up. “I can help you! I know all of the monsters in the Underground!”

You can’t help but smile too, growing excited. “Really?!”

He nods enthusiastically before grabbing your hand. “I can help you, sunshine!”

“I...I would like that!” you agree.

“Awesome. I’ll try to introduce you to some of my other monster friends sometime,” he says. “The majority of them work with humans in some way or another, so it’ll work out pretty well.”

“Really?! Thank you so much!” you say. 

He nods and chuckles. “I’ll talk to some of them later on today. I’ll get back to you tonight.”

Thanking him once more, you both return to your studies. This time, however, you’re focused on scribbling down ideas excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :D  
> Let us know what you think!


	6. Undyne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope everyone's doing alright! We hope everyone has a meaningful Memorial Day.

**Chapter VI - Undyne**

You slowly sweep the floors, lost in thought. Chara had texted you earlier saying that he wanted to introduce you to one of his friends before the two of you go to study today. According to him, this particular friend works frequently with humans - namely the police. She is apparently the captain of the Royal Guard as well. Nevertheless, you’re excited to meet her!

You set the broom in its rightful place and go to lean on the counter. You doodle on a scrap of paper absentmindedly. The doorbell chimes, startling you. You stand up straight and go to greet the customer. Not to your surprise, Sans walks in, hands in his pockets.

“Oh! Sans! It’s nice to see you again!”

“nice to see you too, kiddo,” he says with a wink. 

You check the calendar with a puzzled look. “Papyrus isn’t working today?” you say slowly.

Sans’ grin widens. “i know. came in to get some candy and say hey.”

You smile. “Oh, okay! Can I help you with anything?” 

Sans glances around the store. “nah. i think i’ll be good.” 

You nod. “Okay! Call me if you need me!” You walk to the back room and grab your travel mug. You take a sip and check your phone. Usually you wouldn’t leave a customer in the main part of the store, but you trust Sans. You scroll through your messages.

**[10:21 AM, Thursday]**

**Chara <3: heya sunshine :)**

**Chara <3: first of all, just wanted to let you know that undyne’s going to meet us at muffet’s today with a few of her coworkers**

**Chara <3: but nvm that**

**Chara <3: how are you**

**You: good!**

**You: minding the store rn**

**You: hbu?**

Smiling, you put your phone in your pocket and walk into the store, where Sans is walking to the counter. You grin as he sets a single item on the counter: an Airhead, blue raspberry flavor.

“Nice choice!” you say, setting it in the bag. You take his money and give him change. “Anything else I can help you with?”

Sans casually leans on the counter. “well, call me an  _ airhead _ ,” he starts, shaking his purchase, ”but your beauty has blinded me. i’m gonna need your number for insurance purposes.”

Your eyes widen and you step back before you suddenly start giggling.

“Oh, that was  good !” you say, fishing your phone out of your pocket. You exit out of Chara’s text and go to contacts. You hand him the phone, still giggling. He grins and takes it. You wait and take it back when he’s done. You take his phone and put yourself in. After giving it back to him, you send him a confirmation text.

**[10:32 AM, Thursday]**

**You: seriously tho, that was really good.**

**sans: heh heh**

You glance up at Sans. “Now that you have my number, are you just gonna send me puns?”

“yes,” he says with no hesitation. 

You laugh. “I wouldn't have it any other way. Bye, Sans!”

“see ya, sugar.” He winks and leaves the store.

...

You step into Muffet’s and glance around. The bakery is packed today, mostly with a bunch of… dog monsters? And policemen. You see Chara talking with a tall fish woman, who is laughing and slapping him on the shoulder. You walk over and wait for a break in the conversation.

“Heya, Chara,” you say with a wave.

Chara grins. “Sunshine! We were just talking about you!” He gestures to the tall fish monster.

“Undyne, this is (Y/N), (Y/N), Undyne.” You stick out your hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Undyne!” You smile. Undyne captures your hand and shakes it with a hard squeeze, making you wince.

She laughs. “Hey, punk! I’ve heard a lot about you from Chara!”

You raise an eyebrow at Chara. “Good things, I hope!”

Undyne sips at her beverage. “Well, he said that you're a great photographer, and that you own a candy shop.” She brightens up. “Oh! He said that-”

“Undyne…” Chara groans, slapping a hand over her mouth. She shakes off the hand and smirks.

“He said that you’re a really great person!” she crows.

You feel your face start to turn red. You look at Chara, who’s slightly blushing, scratching the back of his head.

“W-well I’m glad!” you say.

Undyne leans forward and studies your face. Then she looks at Chara. She grins and steps back.

_ I don’t like that look at all _ , you think. You change the subject. 

“So, Undyne, You're the captain of the Royal guard, right?” Undyne nods. “Yup! I work with the police too, but mostly the canine unit.”

She gestures around the room at the mix of dogs and humans, either playing poker or drinking coffee. 

“Here, let me introduce you to my team!” Undyne says before walking up to two men and a woman dressed in detective uniforms.

“So, this is Detective Sebastian Castellanos, his partner, Joseph Oda, and detective-in-training Juli Kidman. Their team was specifically assigned to aid us with crimes against monsters and their supporters,” Undyne introduces. The detectives look towards you and smile.

“Hello,” Joseph greets with a small smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here,” replies Sebastian. He’s a tall, middle-aged man with dark eyes and a stubbly chin. To you, he fits the old stereotype of a middle-aged detective with a heart of gold.

“Undyne said you were a photographer,” Juli interrupts. “Are you in college for that?”

You nod. “I am! I’m working on a project that involves me catching the unity between monsters and humans.”

“You should come down to the police station one day, then,” Joseph says. “We frequently work alongside monsters. I’m sure Sebastian here can pull a few strings to let you come take some pictures.”

The oldest detective nods. “Not to mention that the captain’s been looking for some decent exposure for us.”

Joseph turns to you. “Perhaps he’ll take an interest in your work.”

Sebastian pulls out a notepad, writing something down. “You know Chara, right?”

“Yep,” you reply.

“Perfect. If we get word back from the chief I’ll let you know.”

“Really? Thanks, you guys!” you reply, smiling. “I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, nerd, we’ll get into contact with you if we need pics!” Undyne yells. Before you know it, she’s dragging you away, so you quickly wave at the detectives before turning to face…

...a bunch of dog monsters, all staring at you. You gasp slightly.

“Just so you know, they love being pet,” Undyne states, cackling maniacally. “Guys, meet (Y/N), Chara’s friend.”

One dog extends its neck towards you. Not knowing what to do, you turn to Undyne.

“Pet ‘em!” she encourages.

Turning back to the dog, you slowly reach out before setting your hand on its head before stroking its fur gingerly. You feel it barking in happiness.

A few minutes later, you’re reunited with Chara, who must’ve gone to talk to someone for the time being. 

Undyne comes up behind the two of you before slinging her arms around your shoulders. Once Chara manages to get her off, she turns to you. “So, you’re the photographer that took those pictures of Fluffybuns’ garden?”

You raise an eyebrow.  _ Flufflybuns?  _ Chara pokes you in the side before whispering: “She means Dad.” You almost laugh at the nickname.

“Yeah. That was me! It was really fun too, his garden is  _ gorgeous.”  _

Undyne nods. “He puts a lot of work into it. And I really liked the pictures that you took. You were somehow able to capture the garden perfectly,” she says seriously.

“Thank you!” you say.

Undyne suddenly looks nervous. “So… uh. You were commissioned to do that, right?” You nod.

“Well, I have a wedding next month and I haven’t found a photographer yet. Chara and Asgore liked your work, so… Do you wanna do that?”

Wait... _ another  _ commission? Seriously?! This doesn’t even feel real! You can’t help but feel both excited and nervous at the prospect of being able to photograph a wedding!

You nod with a big smile. “I’d love to!” Undyne grins and sweeps you up into a big hug, lifting you into the air. 

“NGAHHH!!! THAT'S WHAT I”M TALKING ABOUT!!”

She sets you down. “Thanks a lot, punk. Here, let me get your number and I can send you the details.”

You give her your phone. She puts her number in, and gives you her phone. You put yourself in as (Y/N)/Photographer and hand it back. She grins and envelopes both you and Chara in a big hug.

“Enough sappy shit! I gotta get back to work! See ya, nerd!!” Undyne dashes out of the store, followed by a bunch of excited dogs. The policemen in the store laugh and calmly stand to leave. The detective team bids you farewell and you wave.

Chara grins at you. “Well that was certainly something.”

Your phone chimes suddenly.

**[3:33 PM, Thursday]**

**Undyne: Hey, punk!**

**Undyne: We need to go over some details w/ you**

**Undyne: do ya wanna come to dinner soon?**

**Undyne: I’ll cook some KICKASS spaghetti and then maybe we can watch some anime**

**Undyne: And since Chara introduced us**

**Undyne: he can come too**

**Undyne: ;) ;) ;)**

**You: I’d love to do that! Thank you for inviting me! I’ll look at my schedule and text you later.**

**Undyne: NGAHHHH FUCK YEAH**

You look at Chara. “Undyne wants me to come to dinner soon. She says that you can come too.”

Chara sips his coffee. “Sure! As if I would pass up an opportunity to spend time with you,” he says with a wink.

You roll your eyes and you both leave for your study session.

…

**[Thursday 4:53]**

**Sans: what do you call a fake noodle**

**You: ???**

**Sans: an im-pasta**

**You: ba-dum-tshh**

**You: Very clever Sans**

**Sans: why thank you**

**Sans: all my jokes are updog**

**You: ???**

**Sans: whut**

**You: Updog???**

**Sans: yeah**

**You: Whats that? 0_o**

**Sans: whut?**

**You: What’s updog?**

**Sans: ;)**

**You: WAIT NO**

**Sans: not much, just chillin**

**Sans: hbu?**

**You: DAMMIT SANS**

**Sans: heheh**

Now that Sans has your number, you two text, but not as often as you text Chara. Sans mostly texts you bad puns, pick up lines, and memes. He occasionally asks how Papyrus is doing at the store, and sometimes will ask random questions that lead to friendly arguments. All in all, you enjoy talking with him.

…

“Who are we meeting today?”

Chara chuckles lightly. “You’ll see. Two of the coolest monsters ever.”

“Well, I’m excited,” you reply, smiling as Chara ushers you inside the bakery. Once you get in, you glance around to see who’s here.

“HUMAN!”

Your face lights up upon seeing Sans and Papyrus sitting together at the bar.

“Sans! Papyrus!” you say, walking over to them.

“Wait, you already know them?” Chara questions as he looks at you.

“Yeah! Papyrus recently started working at the shop. I’m surprised you haven’t seen him yet,” you reply. “And Sans typically comes to drop him off and pick him up.”

“heya there, sugar,” Sans greets. “fancy seein’ ya here.”

“INDEED, HUMAN! AH, I SEE YOU HAVE MET CHARA!”

You nod. “Yep! Chara, are these the monsters you were going to introduce me to?”

“Yeah, but I guess there’s no need…” he replies, chuckling a little bit.

“That’s okay,” you reply. “It’s still great to see you guys!”

“anytime, sweet-tart. i  _ kneaded _ to see you anyways.”

“No, not the baking ones!” you say, already red and giggling.

“ _ rye  _ do i miss you so much?” Sans questions.

To your surprise, Chara jumps in too. You notice that he doesn’t seem as into it this time, which makes you worry slightly. “At  _ yeast _ you’re in my thoughts all of the time!”

“ _ dough _ you know how  _ sweet  _ you are?”

“I’ll buy you  _ flours _ !” 

“i’m glad we’re in a bakery so i can get a  _ cutiepie  _ like you!”

“Are you a fruit? Because  _ honeydew  _ you know how fine you look-”

“ENOUGH!” Papyrus yells. “I AM SICK OF YOUR TERRIBLE PUN-LACED PICK-UP LINES!”

Silently thanking Papyrus, you chuckle awkwardly before turning to face Muffet, who glances at you questioningly. You only shake your head slightly before reciting your order.

After a few rounds of chatter and pick-up lines, Chara slings an arm around before hurriedly guiding you out of the store. You briskly wave to the skeletons before walking back outside, the fresh air giving you time to think as you quietly sip on your coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Circus4APsycho8 here. If anyone gets the three other character references I put in here then you get seven cookies.
> 
> Anyways, have a great day, and as always, thanks for reading!


	7. Quiet Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! This chapter jumps around quite a bit, but meh, it's still good :)

**Chapter VII** **_-_ ** **Quiet Water**

You turn down the music as you pull into the driveway.

“Is this it?”

Chara nods. He’s been a very good navigator during the drive, helping you find the cute beige house that belongs to Alphys and Undyne. You step out and stretch, walking over to the other side of the car. Once Chara is out of the car, he grins at you and offers his arm for you to take.

“What a gentleman,” you tease with a smile. You take his arm with a blush. Once you get to the door, you drop your arm and knock. A couple of seconds later, a small yellow dinosaur monster opens the door.

“U-um h-hi! C-come on in!” You thank her and you and Chara step inside. She shuts the door and hugs Chara. She turns to you.

“I-I’m Alphys. It’s n-nice to meet you!” You shake her hand (or claw? You’re not entirely sure) with a grin. 

“I’m (Y/N) (L/N). It’s nice to meet you too!” Alphys smiles and gestures to the rest of the house.

“F-follow me! Undyne is in the k-kitchen!” She trots away to where you suppose the kitchen is. Chara gives you a wink and begins to follow. As soon as you step into the kitchen, you hear a yell and are tackled, causing you to fall to the ground with a squeak. You hear the sound of glass shattering and a loud curse. You open your eyes to see Chara’s worried face.

“Are you okay?” he asks, concerned. He offers his hand, which you grab and stand.

“Yeah, thanks, but...what just happened?”

You look around. Alphys is scolding Undyne who looks ashamed. Chara checks you over once for any injuries. “Undyne threw a plate. It almost hit you, so I pushed you out of the way. I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine, Chara,” you smile.

He winks, but he still looks worried. “Don’t I know it.” You blush and stick your tongue out. You turn to Undyne and Alphys. 

“Sorry, babe!” Undyne is saying. “I just got so FIRED UP!” Undyne sees you and scratches the back of her head. “Sorry, (Y/N). I…uh, got too excited.” 

You laugh. “It’s alright, Undyne. What’re you cookin’?” Undyne perks up and gestures to the stovetop, where you see a couple of burnt pots and pans, with a couple of them on fire. The bold stench of smoke drifts through the air, making you wonder whether or not they have fire alarms or not. A nervous chuckle escapes you as you glance at Chara, who only is looking at the couple with a small smile.

“H-hey, Undyne?” Alphys says. “M-maybe we should o-order some pizza.”

...

You sit on the couch with Chara at your left and Alphys on your right, who is currently cuddling Undyne. You are watching some anime that you had never heard of as you eat your pizza. 

While Undyne had been ordering the pizza, Alphys had asked if you were into anime. At your confession that you had only seen a couple, Alpyhs needed to know which ones, and what you thought of them. She became more animated and her stutter disappeared. She rushed to the shelf that was absolutely  _ filled _ with DVD’s and returned with a stack. She sat next to you and talked you through each one. Undyne returned and Alphys had told her fiance that it was now her personal mission to get you into anime. With that, you had grinned and given her a big hug. 

...

You stretch as Undyne pauses the anime.

“It’s getting kinda late. Do you want to talk about wedding stuff, punk?”

You stand and grab your bag from the side of the couch. Reaching inside, you take out your notebook and a pencil and grin at the couple.

“All ready!”

You turn to Alphys, pen at the ready. 

“Okay, so we were thinking about getting some pre-wedding photos, like o-of the scenery, the cake, a-all that,” Alphys begins. “Then, we o-obviously need some of the actual wedding, and then I’m betting the g-guests will want some too…”

Alphys continues listening the types of pictures that they want. Every once in a while, Undyne will interject with a: “YEAH! IT WILL BE SO BADASS!” or “NGAHHH!”. Chara is even less help, as he will just fluster you with pick-up lines or cut in with bad suggestions. 

Once the details are figured out, Undyne turns the anime back on. You watch through two episodes before checking your phone. Upon seeing the time, you nudge Chara who is pretending to dislike the anime. You show him the time and he nods, so you stand and shoulder your bag.

“We should probably go. Thanks for having us over. This was really fun!”

Undyne grins. “Next time, I’ll make some pork buns!”

Chara tilts his head to the side. “Next time?”

Alphys nods excitedly. “Y-yeah! We should do this more often! J-just eat and watch anime! I need to show (Y/N) some manga that I just bought!”

You manage to mutter out an affirmation before yawning. Chara glances at you and smiles. “We should go. See ya, Undyne. Later, Alphys.”

“B-bye, you two!” Alphys calls.

“Bye, punks! I’ll text you about another anime marathon, (Y/N).” 

You wave as you and Chara walk to the door. Chara opens the door and you step outside. The moon is full and you point this out. You stumble to the car and go to open the door, but Chara stops you. 

“Nuh uh, (Y/N). I’ll drive. You look like you’re gonna pass out. I’ll drive.” You begin to protest.

Chara raises an eyebrow. “I don’t want you driving while you're tired. I got this.” You nod with a yawn and sit in the passenger's seat. Chara is a very good driver - he’s careful and every once in a while, he makes sure that you haven't fallen asleep. When you direct him to your house, he laughs.

“That’s so cool. I don’t live that far away from you.” He pulls into the driveway and gets out of the car. You yawn and leave the car. Chara meets you at the front of the car. 

“Thanks for driving, Chara, “ you say with a smile. Chara nods. “Anytime, Sunshine. Now get some rest.”

You give him a quick hug. ”Bye, Chara.” You head inside and go to bed, a tired smile on your face.

Ten minutes later you shoot into an upright position and snatch your phone from the side dresser.

**[Thursday, 10:42 PM]**

**You: FUCK**

**You: CHARA IM SO SORRY**

**You: I’M SUCH AN IDIOT WHEN I’M TIRED**

**You: I DIDN'T DRIVE YOU HOME!!!!**

**Chara <3: It’s okay, sunshine**

**Chara <3: You were tired and my house isn’t that far away.**

**You: you walked?!?!**

**Chara <3:It’s really nice out**

**Chara <3: really. Don’t worry about it.**

**Chara <3: see you tomorrow?**

**You: I guess so**

**You: Sorry chara**

**You: I’m gonna buy you chocolate**

**Chara <3: it’s okay! Get some rest, you**

**Chara <3: however, i won’t say no to chocolate ;)**

**You: Okay :) Good night then <3**

... 

**[The Next Morning]**

You say goodbye to the young couple walking out of the store and check your phone, scrolling through the texts that Chara had sent earlier that morning with a smile.

**[Friday: 8:25 AM]**

**Chara <3: Mornin sunshine :) Hope you slept well**

**Chara <3: the family and I are going to visit you at the store today**

**You: Woah, really? Cool!**

**You: What time?**

**Chara <3: maybe in a hour or two.**

**You: Can’t wait!**

You check the other texts. In the group chat with your class friends (which you had affectionately dubbed “Oh Shoot!”) there had been some action. Temmie shared a picture that she had taken. It  was a shot of the blue sky, with a couple of balloons floating across. You type out how much you love it and check the last text, which is from Sans. You laugh at the dumb pickup line. He sure loves getting you flustered, doesn’t he? You shoot back a pun and shut off your phone. You walk to the backroom, where your parents are unloading some boxes. 

“Need any help?”

Your mother sits. “I think we should be good for now. Do you want to put this case of chocolate on the shelf?”

You laugh. “Sure. We’ll need it.” 

Your mother raises an eyebrow. “Why?” 

You pick up the chocolate with a nervous laugh. “Um. I have a friend who’s gonna visit later and he really likes chocolate.”

Your father turns with some paperwork in his hand. “Really? I’m glad that you're making friends. What’s he like?”

You hoist the case higher so that you won’t drop it. “I guess you’ll meet him in a bit. The family is gonna visit. I’m gonna carry this case out.” You leave the backroom, eager to escape the inevitable questions and slide the case into the shelf. You stand and turn to go back to your parents when you hear the bell chime. You promptly get tackled by two children.

“(Y/N)!” 

You ruffle Frisk’s hair and pinch Asriel’s cheek. “Hey, kiddos! How are you two?”

Frisk beams at you. “We’re good!” 

“Yeah!” Asriel chimes in.

You untangle yourself from the kids and greet Toriel and Chara. The former gives you a big hug, which you eagerly return. Chara grins and winks as you smile at the family. 

“It’s so nice to see you!” you say, pulling away from the queen.

Toriel nods. “Asgore couldn't make it, but we wanted to visit anyway.” 

You ruffle the kids’ hair again. “Well, I’m happy to see you all, anyway. Hopefully I can see him soon.” Chara starts to speak but is stopped by your parents coming out of the back room. 

“Oh! Hello!” your mother says, straightening her apron.

You pull your parents over to the Dreemurrs. 

“Mom, Dad, these are the Dreemurrs. They’re the family that commissioned me,” you introduce, watching as your father extends a hand.

“It’s nice to meet you! (Y/N) has mentioned you,” he states.

Toriel shakes his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well! I am Toriel, this-” She gestures at her children, patting each one on the head as she says their names. “-is Frisk, next to them is Asriel, and standing next to (Y/N) is Chara, my eldest.”

Your mother smiles, and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear as she glances at each of the children. “Lovely names.” Frisk and Asriel leave to walk around the candy store, pointing excitedly at the different types of candy.

While your father starts to initiate conversation with Toriel, who has walked over to where Frisk and Asriel are excitedly viewing the candy selection, your mother turns at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Chocolate?” she asks innocently. You nod, watching as she leans in. “He’s cute.” You feel your face start to color.

“Mom!” you protest. She chuckles as you turn your attention back towards the family and walk out from behind the counter.

“So, Chara,“ your mother starts. “You study with (Y/N)?” 

Chara nods, and slings an arm around your shoulder. “She’s really great to study with. We usually stop by Muffet’s Bakery and then go to study at the library. It’s the highlight of my day,” he says, looking at you and winking again. You huff out a laugh and shake your head

Your mother giggles while your dad shoots Chara a glare from where he’s standing next to Toriel. You elbow your friend and try to change the subject. 

“Hey Mom? Can we invite the Dreemurrs over for dinner soon?”

Your mother glances at your father and nods. “Sure! I’d like to talk to everyone more. For now, though, we need to go finish the unloading and get that paperwork done. It was very nice to meet you all.” 

She turns to you. “(Y/N) dear, can you take care of them?” 

You nod with a smile. “Sure thing!” 

Your father waves and your parents go to the back room as you continue to chat with the Dreemurrs.

...

You step into Muffet’s and order your beverage of choice. You contemplate buying some donuts, but decide on a spider croissant instead. As you wait for Muffet to bring out your order, you pull out your notebook and jot down ideas for the “Hand-in-Hand” project. 

You’re so busy writing that when someone taps you on the shoulder, you squeak and drop your notebook. Chara bends over and picks it up, smirking as he hands it to you. 

“You know, it’s fucking  _ adorable  _ when you squeak like that.”

“ _ Chara _ !” you whine, taking your purchase from Muffet and thank her. Chara picks up his coffee and nods. You both walk out of the store, chatting as the door closes.

Muffet slides a tray into place and straightens a stack of coffee cups. “ My, my, aren't those two precious? I can see why one would mistake them for a couple.” She glances at the small spider to her right. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Foodles?” 

Mr. Foodles squeaks and jumps onto the glass case of baked goods, waving his tiny legs around.

Muffet chuckles. “Ahuhuhu! I wonder…”

...

You and Chara are walking down the path to the library when you freeze. You shove your box and cup into Chara’s arms and dig around in your bag. 

“Sunshine? Wha-” 

Once you find your camera, you flick it on and crouch. Holding the camera up to your eye, you study the scene in front of you: a young, orange monster has fallen flat on his face; it appears this is due to the fact that he doesn’t have arms to catch himself. A small girl is reaching out to help him.

_ Snap! _

The monster is now standing upright while laughing and leaning on the small girl’s shoulder.

_ Snap! _

The little monster grins and runs away. The girl runs to her mother, who pats her on the head with a fond smile. 

You stand and show the pictures to Chara with a smug grin. “Hand-in-Hand.”

Chara studies the picture. “Nice. That’s really good!”

“Thanks!” you reply, sticking your camera back in your bag before taking your things back from Chara’s grasp. “Sorry about that, heh.”

...

You open the door to Grillby’s and hold it for your friends, laughing at a joke that Max had made. After class, you and your friends had decided to treat yourselves by visiting Grillby’s for lunch. You close the door behind yourself and everyone walks to a booth by the window. You slide in next to Temmie, who has already started to scribble on the napkins with a pen. You reach for a menu and study it. After you decide what you want, you offer it to Burgerpants. He shakes his head with a laugh.

“No use. I get the same thing everytime.” He instead lets Max take the menu. 

“Fair enough,” she says. “I know what I’m getting, but I still want to look. Maybe I’ll change my mind this time.” 

Napstablook glances at her. “you said that last time.” Max sagely nods. 

You laugh. “What are you getting, Naps?”

“a ghost sandwich.”

You nod. “Good choice.” You turn to Temmie, who is still drawing on the napkin. “What about you, Tem? Tem Flakes?”

Temmie nods. “TeM buYs ExpeNsIv tEM FLakES ThIs TOiM!” 

You smile at the waitress walking up. “Heya, Fuku!”

The young elemental grins. “Why, hey there! I haven’t seen you all in a while! Did you just get out of class?” 

Max nods. “Nothing better than one of your dad’s burgers after a boring lecture.” 

Fuku pulls out her notepad with a laugh. “I get that. Whenever I get out of my especially-long cosmetology class, Dad’ll sometimes make me a special batch of fries. Professor Mipha is great and all, but she sure can ramble. Anyway, what can I get everyone to eat today?”

Fuku takes everyone's orders and leaves. Napstablook is talking to Temmie and Burgerpants and Max start to talk about…bunnies? Well, you won’t judge. As you look around the restaurant, your eyes rest on a small figure clad in a blue hoodie. Oh! It’s Sans! You turn back and wait for a break in the conversation. Once it comes, you jump in. 

“Hey, I see someone that I know and I’m gonna go say hi. Be right back!” 

You walk to the bar and sit next to the skeleton. “Hiya, Sans!” Sans looks up, confused. Upon seeing your face, he grins. 

“heya sugar. fancy seein’ you here.” he says.

You gesture to your friends at the booth, where Burgerpants is trying to stack salt and pepper packets while Max eggs him on. “My friends and I come here after class sometimes.” 

Sans nods at his own plate. “i do the same, except i go before class. i have maybe…” he checks his phone. “five minutes to chat. how have you been?”

You smile. “I’m pretty good! I’ve been busy at the shop, mostly. And classes. I have a cool project that I’m going to do that involves taking pictures of humans and monsters getting along!” you say, excited. “How about you?” 

“i've been good. i have a lot of papers to write that i’m gonna wait until the last minute to do, heh. it’s kind of awkward turning in papers when my dad is the professor,” he chuckles. 

“Wait. Your dad is a professor?!”

Sans nods. “professor gaster. arguably the most brutal professor i’ve ever had.” He chuckles, then casts his eyes to the side, suddenly seeming nervous. “hey (y/n), i was wondering… if maybe… oh stars, this is hard.” His phone suddenly goes off and he jumps before glancing at it. “oh, shit, i gotta get to class. uhh, i’ll get back to ya on that question, heh heh.” 

You smile. “It’s alright, Sans. I should get back to my friends, anyway. I’ll see you soon!”

Sans nods, a slight dusting of blue on his skull. “bye, sugar.” he hops off of the barstool and rushes out the door.

You slowly walk back to your booth, mind racing.  _ What was he going to ask? Was… he going to ask you on a ...date?!  _ You shake your head.  _ Stop overthinking, (Y/N). He definitely wasn't asking you on a date... _ You decide to think about it later and just focus on the present. 

You sit in the booth, where Max is messing with her straw by slipping the cover on one end and blowing into the other, causing the paper cover to shoot off and hit Burgerpants in the side of the head. You pick up the glass of your favorite drink that had just been delivered and take a sip, enjoying the tingle of magic. Grillby couldn’t serve water, so instead, he found a way to recreate human sodas with the addition of magic. All in all, it’s delicious, and you don’t think that you will ever be able to go back to drinking normal human drinks, soda or not.

Your phone goes off and you glance at it.

**[2:34 PM, Thursday]**

**Unknown: Hey, (Y/N)! It’s Alphys! I got your # from Undyne's phone.**

**Unknown: i hope you don't mind :3**

You grin and set her name.

**You: ofc I don’t mind :)**

**You: how are you?**

**Alphys: Yay!! UwU**

**Alphys: I’m good! I wanted 2 know if you wanted to come over soon and have another anime and dinner nite soon**

**Alphys: i think that you’d really like this one that i got /(owo) /**

**You: i’d love to!**

**You: tell me when, and i’d love to come over!**

You hear cheers from your booth and glance up to see Fuku walking to the table with a tray. 

**You: I gtg for a bit, ttyl?**

**Alphys: Of course! :3**

You slide your phone into your pocket and thank Fuku. You and your friends dig into your respective meals.

...

You and your friends pay and stand to leave. You give Fuku a quick hug and wave at Grillby from behind the counter. “Thanks Grillby! It was amazing!” Grillby nods and Max opens the door so that you all can leave. You step outside and stretch. Max closes the door and straightens her bag. 

“So, what’s the plan?”

You check your phone. “Well, I should  _ probably  _ study, but we all know that I’m going to play video games till I pass out. Did you have any plans?”

Burgerpants nods. “I was going to have a movie night with Quinn, so if we make any plans, we’ll have to put them off for another day.”

Temmie speaks from her perch on Max’s head. “TeM WiLL StuBy HarD!!”

“ i think that... mettaton wants me to hang out tonight…” Napstablook adds. 

“I’m planning on doing some room decorating.” Max says. “I need to hang up those new pictures that I got.”

You smile at your friends. “Okay, then. We can go our separate ways today, but soon we should hang out and like, watch something or have a game night.”

Max rests her arm on Napstablook's head. “Maybe you and BP can come over to our apartment and we can play Monopoly and watch some Disney.”

You nod. “That sounds like fun! We should do that later in the week.”

Burgerpants checks his phone. “I should go. Gonna pick up some snacks for the movie night with Quinn.” 

You quickly hug all of your friends. “Okay, see ya later everyone!”

“bOi!!!”

“ bye….”

“Bye, everyone!”

“Yeah, whatever.”


	8. Spider Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya y'all!  
> HyperCircuit here!  
> I just wanted to real quick thank everyone for all of the amazing comments, kudos, ect :) Circus4APsycho and I are so so so happy that everyone likes this story :)
> 
> On a different note, I wrote an Ink!Sans oneshot! If you like Ink and smol fluffy things, I think you would like it :D  
> It's coming out super duper soon, so stay tuned!
> 
> That aside, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter VIII - Spider Dance**

**[8:47 AM, Friday]**

**Chara <3: hey sunshine, got a sec?**

**You: yep! What’s up?**

**Chara <3: well, I was thinking**

**Chara <3: so, this year, dad set up a little mini festival of sort**

**Chara <3: basically, he’s going to get a bunch of monsters and humans together and have them display little cultural things**

**Chara <3: like crafts, projects, ideas, music, food, all kinds of stuff**

**You: that sounds awesome! When is it?**

**Chara <3: tomorrow, actually. Would you wanna come with me? we could probs get a shit ton of good pics for your project**

**You: I’d love that!**

**Chara <3: Great! I’ll pick you up if that’s ok…?**

**You: Thank you, I appreciate it :)**

**Chara <3: yay!! See you then ;)**

**You: See you! Thanks for the invite!**

…

“Where are you off to?” you mother asks from the couch in the living room.

“I’m going to the Ebott Festival with Chara,” you reply. “We’re going to see if there are any good photo ops. Plus it just looks like a lot of fun!”

She smirks a little as she sips her coffee. “Already going on a date, hm?”

“What?!” your dad interjects from the kitchen. “A date?! With _my_ little girl?”

Your face heats as your eyes widen. “No, no! Not a date!”

He shakes his head. “It definitely is. You two are going to a festival. Is he picking you up?”

“Uh...yeah… But it was never explicitly established that this is considered a date!”

“I want to talk to him,” your dad replies with a blank face.

“Honey, calm down. Chara is a sweet boy. This is exciting!” your mom says before sighing. “My girl’s all grown up…”

“You’re right. This is exciting. I get to put my old shotgun to use.”

“Daddy!” you admonish, putting your hands on your hips.

“Shotgun?” Dustin asks, coming out of the hallway and glancing at you. “Need me to grab it for you?”

“Oh my stars. I’m leaving,” you say dramatically before turning to the door.

“Have fun sweetie! We love you!”

“Be back before ten o’clock tonight or I’ll find you both!”

“I’m with Dad on this one!”

…

After a few minutes of waiting on your family’s porch to escape their teasing, a dark green car rolls up to the driveway. Chara rolls down the window and waves. You open the door and get into the passenger’s seat with a grin. “Hey, Chara!”

Chara winks at you as you buckle yourself. “Mornin, Sunshine. Excited?”

You nod. “Very!” Chara chuckles. 

“Let’s go then!”

...

You close the door and face the ongoing festival, Chara at your side. The fence is concealing most of your view, but you can see the peaks of little multi-colored tents sticking up.

“I smell food!” you say as the two of you approach the entrance, which is blocked by a little table with two people behind it.

“Good morning!” Chara says as the two of you step up.

“Morning! There’s no fee to get in, you both will just have to sign this paper. Read the paragraph at the top too.”

You nod and read it. It’s basically just saying that by signing in, you agree to be interviewed and photographed by the press. Once you both are signed in, you take a look around.

There are several human and monster vendors here - some are selling foods, others treats, and some crafts. You spy a human selling candles that look like desserts. Next to her a bunny monster who is selling...cookie bunnies? You’re not too sure.

“Hey, it’s Hazel! She was the shopkeeper back in Snowdin. C’mon, I want you to meet her!”  
Before you know it, Chara takes your hand and drags you towards her stand.

“Hey, Ms. Hazel! How are you doing?”

“Why, hello there, Chara! It’s been a while! I’m fantastic, and you?”

“I’m doing great! I wanted to introduce you to my friend,” Chara says your name and you wave at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you say, smiling.

“The pleasure’s all mine! Please, both of you, take a cinnamon bunny!”

“Thank you so much! They look delicious!” you reply.

Chara grins and winks at you. “Trust me, they’re incredible. I bought one every single day when I was in the Underground.”

“You have a serious sweet tooth…” you mutter.

“Thanks, Hazel!” Chara calls as you follow him to another stand. You wave at her before turning back and unwrapping your cinnamon bunny. Taking a bite into it, you immediately melt upon tasting the warm bun and sweet icing.

“What do you think?” Chara asks.

“It’s amazing…” you say, closing your eyes in bliss.

“Told you!” he chirps. ‘“Hey, look, it’s Mettaton!”

“Mettaton?” 

Chara simply points to the stage, causing your gaze to follow his finger before you lay eyes on an anthropomorphic pink robot, who is dancing on a stage along with monsters and humans.

“Wow!” you say, grinning. “He’s really talented!”

“I know,” Chara replies, chuckling as he eats his cinnamon bunny.

Today’s a sunny day with no clouds visible in the sky - a perfect day for a festival such as this one. Humming to yourself, you look over at some of the human vendors too. Some are doing crafts for the kids, some are running bouncy houses, and others are doing face painting. Smiling, you take your Nikon out of your bag before holding it up to take a picture of a teenage girl painting a bumblebee on the face of a monster child. Snapping a picture, you quickly show it to Chara with a grin before letting it hang around your neck.

“HUMAN!”

Turning, you find that Papyrus is manning a stand of his own. It consists of two tables draped with red cloth. On one table, he has two large crock pots filled to the brim with spaghetti. He has a set of paper plates, to-go containers, napkins, and cutlery all neatly lined up on the other table. On the top of his skull is a chef hat.

“Hey, Papyrus!” you say, smiling.

“HELLO, HUMANS! I AM PLEASED TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO VISIT MY LEGENDARY PASTA STAND! PLEASE, MY DEAR FRIENDS, PICK A PASTA AND I WILL GIVE YOU A TASTE OF MY UNRIVALED DELICACIES!”

Papyrus slides the two of you what appears to be a...menu? It’s neatly typed and has been laminated.

“I’ll take the shredded lemon chicken with penne, please,” Chara says. You choose your pasta as well.

“EXCELLENT CHOICES! GIVE ME JUST A MOMENT!”

Papyrus quickly turns to scoop out all of the pasta before he grabs two to-go containers and drops it all in. Once he’s done, he hands them to you.

“Smells incredible! Thanks, Paps! See you at the shop later?” you question.

“OF COURSE, HUMAN!” he replies. “ENJOY!”

“Thanks!” Chara calls.

You’re about to dig into your pasta, but a sight catches your eye. You pull your Impulse out of your bag when you spy a pair of monsters teaching a young human how to juggle. The small human is laughing as they finally get the hang of it.

_Snap!_

You hold the camera to your eye again when you see a teenage girl crouching next to a small bunny-like monster while she blows bubbles.The girl offers the container of bubbles to the bunny monster.

_Snap!_

You bring the camera down from your face. Suddenly two small monster children and one human child run up to you. 

“Hey! Hey! Are you taking pictures?” 

You smile at the adorable children. “Sure am! I’m taking some pictures for a project that I have for school.” 

One of the monster children steps closer with a grin. “Can you take pictures of US?!” he asks, as if it were the craziest idea ever.

You laugh. “If you want me to!” The children jump up and down. You put them in a line, and get your camera ready. “Alright, kiddos! Say cheese!” The children give a big smile. “CHEESE!”

_Snap!_

_Snap!_

_Snap!_

_Snap!_

The children flock to you to see the picture. After giving them each one, they thank you and run away. You tuck the last picture in your bag and turn to Chara, who’s watching you with a small smile. 

“Chara?” you ask, waving a hand. Chara jumps slightly. “Y-yeah?”

“You alright?” you ask, concerned. Chara nods. “Of course! Hey, I see Muffet. Do you wanna get some coffee?

You scan the many tables set up, waving at Muffet when you see her. “Sure!” You and Chara maneuver through the crowd and make it to Muffet’s booth. “Hiya, Muffet!” you chirp.

“Ahuhuhu! If it isn’t my favorite customers! Are you here for some coffee and a treat?”

You nod as Chara looks at her menu. “Could I have a white mocha this time, Muff?”

You raise one eyebrow. “Ooh, branching out, I see,” you joke.

Chara huffs. “Hush, you.” 

You laugh. “I’ll have the same, please,” you say.

Muffet giggles. “Sure thing, dearies! And I’ll get you a box of donuts on the house.” 

Surprised, you thank her. Man, you’re getting a ton of free food today! Not that you’re complaining. When she comes back, you ask a question that had been on your mind for a while. 

“Muffet? What are your donuts made of?”

Muffet hands you a small box. “Well, a magician never reveals their secrets, dear. But I’m sure I can trust you. My donuts are made of organic, FDA-approved spider webs, mixed with magic, and a hint of whatever flavor you wish.” She giggles and pets the small spider next to her. “That recipe has been passed down through many generations.”

“That’s so neat!” you say.

Muffet smiles. “Thank you, (Y/N) dear. Now I have customers to take care of. Have fun on your date, you two!”

You thank Muffet and turn to Chara. “Shall we find a nice spot and take a break?” 

Chara nods, a slight blush on his face and points to a wooden picnic table under a big tree. “H-how about there?” 

You grin. “That’ll work! Bye, Muffet!” Muffet waves and disappears with a chuckle.

You turn back to Chara and start to walk towards the picnic table only to freeze. 

_Wait… DATE?!_

After your mind takes a moment to process what Muffet had said, you shake it off and try to calm yourself.

_It was just a joke, calm down!_

With that, the two of you sit down side-by-side as you place the box of donuts on the table. Chara settles in beside you. Once you’re both situated, you open the box, heart racing at what you find inside.

Two spider donuts, each shaped like a heart, and both frosted in red. You try to clear the blush from your face and hand Chara a donut. He makes a small flustered noise. 

“They're not…usually shaped like hearts…right?” 

You shrug and take a bite. “Maybe it's in honor of the festival,” you say, avoiding his glance.

You and Chara finish up your donuts and stand. “What should we do next?” 

Chara scans a brochure that is on the table. “Well, I could introduce you to some more people if you want. Gerson has a booth where you could learn about monster history. Or we could go and visit Dad. He has a booth where he shows and explains about all of the different flowers in the Underground…”

You think for a moment. “I’d like to learn about some monster history! But I also want to learn about the flowers…”

“Well, Gerson’s stand in closer, so let’s visit him first then go talk to my dad,” Chara suggests. You nod, causing him to pull you along.

A few moments later, the two of you arrive at a tented stand with a large turtle-monster underneath. You note that one of his eyes is shut permanently, it seems. He holds a cane in his claws and is studying a book on the table.

“Gerson!” Chara calls.

The turtle looks up, eye flitting between the two of you. “Why, hello there, Chara! It’s been a while since we’ve spoken. And who is this?”

You introduce yourself.

“She’s a friend,” Chara explains, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Frisk and Azzy were being bullied by some older kids and she put a stop to it, thankfully.”

“That’s good to hear!” Gerson replies with a hearty laugh. “Always gotta keep close to the people who stand up for what’s right, wa ha ha!”

“That’s right!” Chara looks down at the book Gerson had been reading before the two of you had interrupted. “Oh! That reminds me. She wanted to hear about the history of monsters. Mind telling her the Prophecy?”

“Boy, you know that story by heart,” Gerson argues, pointing his cane at Chara’s chest.

“But you’re way better at telling it!”

Gerson sighs, but you think you see a bit of excitement in his eye. “Fine then. Here I go!”

…

After hearing the Prophecy and commenting on it, Chara drags you away once more as you wave to the elderly turtle.

“C’mon!” Chara says, grabbing your hand.”Let's go find Dad!” You look down at your joined hands with a slight blush. Chara doesn’t seem to notice. When you get to the booth, he looks down at your hands and mutters a quiet apology, a blush on his face. He steps closer to the booth, where, on the counter, are a bunch of flowers, packages of seeds, and different tools. 

“Why, howdy!” Asgore waves at you and Chara. 

Chara walks behind the booth and hugs his father. After internally squealing at how cute that is, you turn your attention to the flowers. There are a few small green and pink ones, but these look more like seeds. When you pick it up, it makes a small squeak.

Asgore notices you looking at the flowers curiously. “Would you like to learn about the flowers, (Y/N)?” You nod eagerly. He starts to speak, but is cut off by a human asking him questions. He glances at you.

“I must attend to this. Chara, would you explain the flowers to (Y/N)?” 

Chara nods. Asgore smiles and leaves. Your friend takes three more of the green and pink flower seeds from the table and gestures to a small stream a short walk away. 

“Follow me!” 

You walk with him to the stream. He sets each flower down in the water, creating a line of three flower seeds. He then nods at you. 

“Put that last one down,” he tells you. You set it in the water. As soon as the flowers touch, each one opens up, revealing a pink blossom. Chara then steps on the flowers. Surprisingly, they hold his weight.

He laughs at your surprise. “These are called Bridge Seeds. When you place four together, they create a bridge.” He steps off of the sturdy petals. “Do you want to try?” 

You nod and cautiously step onto the flower bridge. Chara watches you, amused. You gasp when it holds strong, gingerly taking another step. You look up at Chara.

“Underground flowers are so cool!” you say in an awed voice. Chara laughs and offers his hand out to you. You take it and step off the flower.

“That’s not all. Come here.”

He walks back to the booth, where Asgore is still absent. Chara picks up a vibrant blue flower, cupping his free hand around the petals as he seemingly whispers at it before handing it to you. 

“Touch it,” he says eagerly.

Curious, you take the flower from him, and gently touch its petals. You hear a small voice.

_Hello, sunshine!_

You look up at Chara, surprised, causing him to smile. “This is an Echo Flower. It repeats the last thing that it heard, over and over. Neat, huh?”

You tap the flowers' blue petals again. 

_Hello, sunshine!_

You cautiously bring the flower up to your mouth. “It’s beautiful,” you whisper before tapping the petal.

_It’s beautiful._

You giggle. “It’s so sweet!” Chara nods, a small smile on his face.

You mess with the flower more. You tell it all sorts of things, and giggle when it talks back. After a few more times, you get an idea and turn away from Chara. You whisper to the small flower and turn back to him. You hand the Echo Flower to him. Puzzled, he touches the flower.

_Thank you for inviting me here, Chara. I’m having a great time._

Chara grins, whispers to the flower, and hands it back.

_Anytime, sunshine._

...

You and Chara walk around the festival more, chatting, taking pictures and just having a good time. Chara shows you some puzzles from the Underground, which you do together.

Eventually, though, you feel your eyes start to get droopy. Chara seems to notice you rubbing your eyes, because he takes your hand and smiles at you.

“Let’s head home, yeah? I think we’re both done for the day.”

...

“Man, social interaction tires me out.”

Chara laughs as he drives. You had spent most of the trip back excitedly talking about what you could do for your project. You had gotten most of your pictures at the festival, but you still needed some. Suddenly, all of the exhaustion had hit you, and you tried your hardest not to fall asleep in Chara’s car. You rest your head on the window. A few minutes of silence pass.

“Sunshine?”

“Mmm?” you hum sleepily.

“You awake? Don’t fall asleep in my car, silly.” The genuine affection and concern in his voice makes you glance up. He’s smiling as he drives. A blush creeps up your cheeks.

“I won’t,” you assure quietly.

A few more minutes pass.

“Hey Chara?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing, babe.”


	9. Dating Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update everyone, I fell asleep a bit earlier than expected last night lol. Anyways, we hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter IX - Dating Start!**

You tie your apron around your waist and wipe the sleep from your eyes. You walk to the counter and take a sip from your travel mug, thinking hard about the festival. Even after a few days, you couldn't stop overthinking the ride home. Chara had called you  _ babe! _

_ What did it mean? Was it platonic? Or did it mean something deeper? _

You try to dismiss the thought.

_ He’s always flirting. He must have been joking. _

The doorbell chimes, and you snap your head up to greet the newcomer, shoving the mental argument with yourself to the back of your mind. 

“heya sugar.”

You grin at the skeleton striding towards you.  “Hi Sans! How have you been?”

“i've been alright, studying mostly. you?’ 

You shrug as you straighten up a shelf of candy.  “I’m alright. Working on my photography project, keeping the store open, questioning life. The usual.” You look at him. “Enough about me, can I help you with anything?”

Sans shrugs, hands stuffed in his pockets. You can't help but notice the hesitant expression on his skull. “kinda? it’s umm… complicated…” You nod and turn back to the shelf and slide a jar of chocolate kisses into place as you wait for him to answer.

“do you want to go on a date?”

You drop a jar. Before it hits the ground, it’s suddenly encased in a blue glow. It floats up to the shelf and is neatly slid into place. You turn to Sans, blushing.  “What?”

He scratches the back of his skull, a light dusting of blue on his skull.  “well...i just...i think you’re...i think you’re really cute, ‘n i talked to paps and i thought about it for a while, and...i want to go out with you. i want to get to know you more.”

Your mouth is agape as you stare at the skeleton, a bewildered expression on your face. “Are...are you serious?” you ask.

“dead,” he answers, still looking at you. “so...what do you say?”

A few moments pass by as you think about the offer. A million doubts and bad scenarios play out in your mind, but…

...would it hurt? You’d never been on a date before, so it would serve as good experience. Your mind immediately jumps to Chara. He kind of made it obvious that he wasn’t entirely against dating, but...he also hasn’t made a move other than flirting consistently. Plus, Sans is handsome and intelligent, and he seems like he’d be interesting to get to know. Surely a date couldn’t hurt.

“I would love to,” you reply, smiling shyly.

His eye sockets light up as his permagrin lights up into a big smile. “really?”

You nod. “Under one condition, though. If this doesn’t work out, then we’ll still be friends…?”

“of course,” he answers. “are you free tomorrow night?”

“I am,” you say.

“cool. i was thinking we could meet up at grillby’s for dinner, then we could go stargazing on mount ebott when we’re done and it’s dark? i can text you more details.”

“That sounds great,” you say, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“perfect. see you tomorrow night!”

...

“Oh my god. Max. I need your help,” you say, phone over your ear as you pace nervously across your room.

“Dude, calm down. Tell me what’s going on,” she replies.

“I...I have a date!” you exclaim. “And I have no clue what to wear! HELP!”

“A date?! Why was I not informed of this earlier?” she demands as you frantically search your dresser and closet for a suitable outfit.

“Because, I got distracted thinking about it…” you mumble.

“Okay, okay, Let me think. Oh, I know the perfect one. Do you still have that (f/c) dress?”

“I do, but we’re stargazing! It’ll be a bit cold!”

“Wear leggings and bring a cute jacket.”

You sigh before agreeing and digging through your closet, pulling out the outfit as you hold your phone to you ear with your shoulder.

“Should I wear my black boots?” you ask.

“Yep. Those will work fine. Feeling better?” she questions.

You nod before remembering she’s not actually here. “Yes. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you know that I’m telling everyone else and that we’re going to grill the hell out of you when you get here.”

“I’ll expect nothing less,” you reply.

“Good. See you at class.”

“See you then!”

After you get dressed and gather your belongings, you head downstairs, where the rest of your family is waiting.

“Good morning, sweetie,” your mom calls.

“Hey,” you reply.

“Where’re you going all dressed up like that?” your dad asks, eyeing you suspiciously.

“I...uh...I have a date tonight,” you answer shyly.

“A date?” Mom asks, smiling. “That’s wonderful! Is it with Chara?”

“No, actually...it’s with Papyrus’ brother, Sans.”

“Hmm…” your dad mutters.

“Oh, he’s a dear,” your mom replies. “Ignore your father. What are you guys doing?”

“We’re going out for dinner and then we’re going stargazing.”

“Be back by-”

“She’s a grown woman,” your mother interrupts your father’s protest.

“I’ll be okay, daddy,” you assure.

“Alright, but if he hurts you, I’ll shoot him.”

…

“Who?”

“where?”

“When?”

“wHy?”

Sighing, you sit down at your desk, moving your bag aside before rolling your eyes and shaking your head affectionately. “With Sans. We’re going out for dinner then stargazing. It’s tonight. And he’s been nice so far.”

“Sans?! Are you shitting me?!” Burgerpants cackles. “That’s fucking hilarious.”

“Why?” you ask, frowning.

“Dude’s got the worst jokes ever!” he retorts. “And he has this weird ketchup obsession. It’s hard to believe a loser like him landed a girl like you!”

“I don’t think he’s a loser,” you reply, folding your arms. “And I think he’s funny.”

“Why else did you agree?” Max asks. “And I’m gonna need to see a picture.”

“I’ll take one tonight. And...he’s been really sweet to me. He always stops by the candy shop and flirts with puns. Plus, I think he’s kinda cute. But he’s a chemistry and physics student!”

“Holy hell,” Max replies. “That must be brutal.”

“He seems to enjoy it. Oh, he said his dad is one of his professors.”

“yeah, gaster’s brilliant,” Napstablook adds before smiling at you. “but i’m happy for you.”

“Thank you,” you say.

“If he hurts you, though, I’ll fuck him up,” Burgerpants spits as k-pop blares from one of his earbuds.

You laugh nervously. “No worries, my dad said he already got his shotgun cleaned.”

“But, I meant to tell you,” Max cuts in. “You look really pretty.”

“Yes, you look gorgeous,” Burgerpants add.

“i-i think that color suits you.”

“tEM agREEs!”

“Thank you, guys.”

After that, class goes by quickly, and once it’s over, you bid your friends goodbye before walking to Muffet’s.

…

You walk up to Muffet’s counter, and smooth out your dress. It’s a (f/c), modest, knee-length dress - one of your favorites. Like Max suggested, you’re also wearing a pair of leggings in case it gets cold later on. Similarly, a jacket is stuffed into your pack as well.

You fidget with your bag as you order. You’re meeting Sans at Grillby’s in under  three hours! You begin to get nervous when your thoughts are interrupted by a familiar face walking in. Chara comes up with a smile. He greets you and gives his order to Muffet, then turns to you, looks you up and down and whistles.

“Damn, sunshine! You look really nice! I mean you always do, but what’s the special occasion?” he questions.

You chuckle, rubbing the back of your neck as you take a step back. “Thanks, Chara. I, um...I have a...a date…”

“A date?” Muffet chimes in, leaning over the counter to hand you your bag. You nod.

“Really?” Chara asks, smile no longer present. “With who?”

“Sans,” you answer.

His expression is inscrutable for a few moments, making you worry until he smiles and pats your shoulder lightly. “Hey, that’s great. What are you guys doing?”

You shrug, smiling a bit. “We’re going out for dinner, then we’re going stargazing once it gets dark.”

“Sounds fun,” he says, soft tone a little uncharacteristic for him.

Muffet hands you your change. “Tell me if he hurts you, (Y/N) dearie. I’ll bake him into my donuts.”

You laugh and thank her, and you and Chara leave.

Throughout the studying session, you notice that Chara is silent. You find yourself missing his upbeat attitude. The silence paired with your anxiety for the upcoming date causes you to not get much work done. Three hours of fretting passes and you bid Chara goodbye.

The walk to Grillby’s is uneventful. You find yourself staring at the door for a bit before pushing it open.

Grillby’s is a little busy tonight, but as soon as you step inside, you spot Sans sitting on a stool at the bar, his back turned to you. Smiling, you approach him before tapping him on the scapula.

He turns, instantly grinning as he observes you. “heya. wow, you look beautiful…”

Giggling, you hop up next to him, securing your backpack next to you. “Thanks. You look handsome yourself!”

It’s true - he’s dressed in a pair of dark-washed jeans and light blue sneakers and is wearing a clean white shirt along with his typical jacket.

Instantly, his zygomatic arches flush blue as he chuckles. “heh, thanks.”

After you get settled, Grillby walks up to the two of you and takes your orders. Fuku brings your drinks out, then you turn to your date.

“So...how are you tonight?”

“pretty good. even better now that i have you by my side,” he flirts with a wink.

You laugh, shaking your head as you take a sip of your drink. “Stop that, silly!”

The skeleton chuckles as he raises a bottle of ketchup to his teeth before taking a swig.

“...Burgerpants wasn’t kidding,” you mumble.

“you know him, huh?”

You nod. “He’s in my photography class. We’re good friends. He told me that you had a ‘ketchup obsession’, but I didn't know if he was joking. Guess he wasn’t.”

Sans laughs and hands you the bottle. “wanna try?”

You shake your head with a giggle. “No thanks. I like ketchup in small doses, but straight up drinking it is definitely not my thing.”

Sans grins. Grillby comes and gives you and your date your food. You don’t hesitate in biting into your meal, sighing in delight.

**...**

“Thanks, Grillby! It was great!” 

“put it on my tab, grillbs,” sans says, standing up.

“Thank you, Sans.”

“no problem.”

Grillby nods and you wave before turning to Sans. “So, stargazing, right?” Sans nods. You look outside, where it’s mostly dark. “Are we walking?”

Sans grins mischievously. “eh, sounds like a lot of work. d’ya wanna see some magic?”

You excitedly jump up and down. “Yes! I’d love to!”

Sans chuckles at your excitement. “alright, but you gotta hold on tight.”

You look at him, confused. He grins and pulls you close, arm wrapping around your waist. You feel your cheeks heating up.

“close your eyes,” he says.

You close your eyes. Suddenly you feel a shift, as though a rug was pulled out from underneath you. You stumble, and grip Sans’ arm tight. 

“wow, sugar, fallin’ for me already?”

You open your eyes and look around. You’re not in Grillby’s anymore! You stand on a ledge overlooking the town. It’s gorgeous. You can see the lights from the town twinkling.

“H-how did...” Sans laughs at your response, causing you to punch his arm lightly. “Seriously! How did we get here?”

Sans winks. “magic.”

You stuck out your tongue at him with a huff. Turning around, you see a large cavity in a wall behind you. You can’t see inside the cave. “What’s down there?”

Sans looks down. “there’s some stairs, and then you would be in the throne room.”

You gasp. “You mean…this is the entrance to the Underground?”

“well, it was the exit for us. this is where we first saw the surface,” he says. You tear your eyes away from the cave and look at Sans. In the fading light, you can’t see much, but you can tell by his voice that he’s thinking of days gone by. He’s studying the cave with fuzzy eye lights.

“What was it like? To see the surface?”

Sans sighs, tilting his skull and scratching his occipital bone. “it was magical, heh. after being stuck for so long… to have something different, ‘n to breathe the fresh air and see the sun ‘n sky, knowing that there’s so much more to the world than just the underground...it was incredible. can’t find an adjective strong enough, heh.” He shakes his head out of the corner of your eye. “come on. i want to show you the stars. ”

You follow him to the ledge where there’s a blanket spread out. Sitting on top of it is a box of...something. You’re not quite sure what it is. You spy an extra blanket neatly folded beside it. He sits, and pats the spot next to him as he pulls out the box.

“i brought snacks, desserts, and some hot chocolate too,” he explains, pulling out a to-go mug, a thermos, and a pack of hot cocoa powder. When you sit, he hands you the unlidded mug before pouring the powder inside. After that, he fills it up with hot water before stirring it and adding a few marshmallows into it. Then, he hands you the lid, so you push it on and cradle it between your hands, smiling.

“Thanks, Sans,” you say.

“no problem,” he replies before setting it down. "please eat all of this unhealthy crap at your will."

You giggle, sipping your cocoa, its warmth radiating throughout your fingers. “I appreciate that.”

Then, he leans back and puts an arm behind his head. You lean back as well and gaze at the sky, putting your beverage to the side for the time being.

“Wow…” 

It’s breathtaking. The sky is dotted with millions of stars all twinkling and shining brightly. The moon appears to be a crescent tonight.

“It’s so amazing!” you say, excitedly.

Sans makes an affirmative noise. You raise your arm and point. 

“Now I know that one is Polaris, but I don’t know any others.”

“polaris is at the end of the little dipper, see? n’ then there’s the big dipper, just south of it.” He reaches over and gently moves your arm so that you are pointing at another constellation. “that one’s orion. see his belt? over…” He’s still holding your arm. “over there is cepheus. looks a bit like a shield. above cepheus is…” he continues to show you constellations. 

The more he talks about stars, the more animated he becomes and his lazy demeanor disappears. You both lay there for a while, talking about old myths and exchanging star puns as you stare at the fascinating night sky.  _ When did you get so close to him? _ You are currently cuddled up to his side, his arm cushioning your head as he points at the sky. 

“it’s too bad that we can’t see any planets…” Sans says wistfully. You agree.

“well…” he says. “i guess that we would have to just do this again when the planets are out.” He says it nonchalantly but he sounds kind of nervous. You laugh quietly.

“I guess we would.”

. . .

You close the door behind you gently, trying not to wake anyone. The living room is deserted, a sign that your parents are both in bed. You drop your backpack on the couch and walk to the kitchen. You start to fill a glass of water when you hear the floorboard creak. You turn to see Dustin there, arms crossed and a puzzled look on his face.

“You’re late.”

You stick your tongue out before sassily responding: “I don’t recall there being a specific time that I had to get back by.”

Dustin frowns. “I heard Mom and Dad talking about a date. Who and where can I find him?”

You raise an eyebrow. “What did Mom and Dad say?”

Dustin taps his foot on the ground, “It doesn't matter. Who is he? If he breaks your heart, I break his legs.”

You roll your eyes. “You'll have to get in line. Dad said the same thing. And BP, even Muffet. Sans took me out to Grillby’s and then we went stargazing. It was fun! He won’t hurt me.”

Dustin looks skeptical. He waits for a second before sighing and answering: “I’ll trust your judgement, sis.”

You finish your glass of water and give him a quick hug. He ruffles your hair. “I will break his bones if he hurts you, though.”

You laugh and thank him. You bid him goodnight and go to bed, a smile on your face.

**[Wednesday, 11:45 PM]**

**Sans: get home alright?**

**You: I did :)**

**You: Thanks for the date sans**

**You: It was really fun :)**

**Sans: heh np sugar**

**Sans: we’ll have to do it again sometime ;)**

**You: I’d like that :D**


	10. Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers! HyperCircuit here :D I have some quick notes to tell y’all before the chapter, if you would like to read them.
> 
> So first, thank y’all SO SO SO much for the support! I know we’ve said that before, but y’all are the bestest EVER so you should hear it again :)
> 
> Second, this chapter here is the last pre-written chapter we have. We are in the middle of the next one, and I’m not sure if it’ll get done by next week. Considering that Circus4APsycho and I are getting busier and busier, we may not get time to write, or the inspiration to. So, updating once a week might not work out as we proceed with this fic. However, we will try our best to bring more to y’all cuz ya deserve it ;)
> 
> I think that's all! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter X - Memory**

You gaze out the window of your room with a quiet sigh, taking in the beauty of the morning. You hear birds singing their lively tunes as they build their neat little nests. You see the vibrant flowers of your mother's garden gently swaying in the wind… On days like these… college students like you…

_ Are supposed to be studying for the photography exam. _

You turn back to your work with a frustrated sigh, and glare at the blank sheet of paper before you. You had meant to get  _ so much done _ this morning! You’d made yourself your favorite morning beverage and even put together a playlist of your favorite music! However, as soon as you sat at your desk and got a sheet of paper, you got distracted.

But things are different now! You are ready to get these notes done!

You raise your pencil with a determined grin and bring it down on the paper. After signing your full name, you decide to take a break.

You turn your attention to your phone, which shows that you have a text. Upon seeing who it is, you grin and open it up. Sans had sent you a pun. You laugh at how corny it is and send one back. 

For you, the past two weeks have been full of fluff. The morning after your first date, Sans sent a good morning text and asked if you wanted to go to lunch with him the next day. After blushing and squealing a bit, you told him that you would love to. You went to lunch together and walked around town for a while. It was really nice.

Now, your  _ third  _ date was really special, and it made you blush just thinking about it. It had been yesterday when you and Sans had gone to the park for a picnic. 

You were both sitting under a magnolia tree looking at the clouds.The calm weather and light magenta blossoms had you taking a few pictures before you’d settled next to Sans. He wrapped a bony arm around your figure as you laid your head on his clavicle. A few moments later, you worked up the courage to intertwine your fingers with his phalanges, reddening profusely when he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. It was quiet for a few seconds until he muttered a particularly dumb joke, which made you turn towards him with a snort **.**

You’d gone to make a comment, but trailed off when you saw him gazing at you intently. Comment forgotten, you returned his stare, looking deep into his eye sockets. Your heart rate picked up its pace as his eye sockets became lidded and he started leaning towards you. Already feeling a blush creeping onto your cheeks, you subconsciously began leaning forward as well.

You finally met in the middle for a sweet, chaste kiss. Soon, you felt his cool phalanges gently touch your cheeks as he pulled you closer. Closing your eyes, you felt his teeth pressed against your lips in a makeshift skele-human kiss. Despite him not having lips, you felt your heart pounding in your chest. It lasted for five heartbeats before you both pulled away slowly, staring at each other deeply. Sans grinned at you, blushing a light blue while you had released a bashful giggle.

“So...does that mean we’re…?”

“officially together?” Sans finished, grinning as his phalanges trace the skin of your cheek. “as long as you’re fine with bein’ my girlfriend, then yeah.”

A laugh escapes you as you press another kiss to his zygomatic arch. “Silly skeleton! Of course I’m fine with that.”

You shake out of your thoughts and return to your phone, thankful that there is no one around to see your blush. A new message pops up.

**[Monday, 11:35]**

**Alphys: Hi Y/N!!!!**

**Alphys: I was just wondering…**

**Alphys: if you maybe wanted to watch some anime today??? :3**

**Alphys: If you don’t thats fine of course!!**

You smile and weigh your options. You have plenty of time to work on your project. It also would be nice to take your mind off of the dinner tonight. You nod decisively.

**You: I’d love to!!**

**You: As long as it’s before 5 :D**

**Alphys: Yayyyy!!!! :D**

**Alphys: Undyne’s at work, but I’m home rn!**

**Alphys: come whenever you want >w<**

**You: How abt in like…**

**You: 15 minutes?**

**Alphys: Sure! UwU**

**Alphys: I’ll make some snacks \ (owo\\)**

You type back an affirmation and set your phone on your desk with a grin.  _ This will be fun! _

You stand from your desk and change into people-appropriate clothes. Pajama pants and a hoodie wouldn't be fit for the occasion. Once you're done, you gather your bag and phone and leave your room, shutting the door behind you. You walk down the hall and into the living room, where your mother is sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. She looks up. 

“Hello, dear! Where are you heading off to?”

You step into your shoes as you answer. “A friend of mine wants to watch some anime.”

Your mother closes her paper. “Sounds fun! Make sure to come back in time for dinner, okay? The Dreemurrs will be here around five-thirty. Your father is going to close the store early so that he can run to the grocery store for me.”

You nod and walk over to her, giving her a quick hug.

You grab your keys off the counter and slip out the door, saying a quick goodbye as you shut it behind you.

You step off the porch and take in the lovely day. You practically skip to your car, humming as you get inside and turn it on. The drive is uneventful, giving you time to think.

A week ago, your mother had reminded you that your family should invite the Dreemurrs over for dinner. You had texted with Toriel and decided to have it later today. You were kind of nervous about it. Luckily, anime with Alphys should distract you from overthinking the upcoming dinner.

You pull up into the driveway and stop the car. Before exiting, you take a deep breath and resolve to leave your troubles inside the vehicle. You nod and get out.

…

Anime  _ does  _ help to distract you. After a few minutes of squealing with Alphys when something cute happens, you feel good as new. Incident forgotten for the time being, you lean back on the sofa and let yourself become absorbed by the anime.

...

Hours later, you check your phone: 2:48. Alright, you have an hour or two before you should get home and help your parents get ready for the dinner. You set your phone on the coffee table and turn your attention back to the anime. After the episode ends, Alphys waits before selecting the next one. 

“I wanted to ask you something….”

You sip at your iced tea. “Yeah?”

“What’s with you and Sans? Undyne told me earlier that she had heard something about the two of you being together.”

You stop sipping at your tea as you feel your cheeks warm up. Shifting your gaze to the side, you chuckle lightly. “She..uh...she did, huh?”

“OMG, you're blushing!!! So you are together then? What was your first date? Have you kissed yet?” You chuckle nervously. She leans forward, clawed hands on her cheeks. “Well?”

You tell her about your past dates, and after debating for a second, you decide to tell her about the kiss.

“Okay, there’s something else, but you have to promise to keep it secret,” you say, excitedly.

Alphys leans forward, eyes sparkling. “Yeah?”

“We kissed on our third date.”

Alphys squeals, then goes wide eyed as she grasps your hand in hers. “SPILL.”

Once again, you chuckle nervously, rubbing the back of your neck with your free hand. “Well...we were sitting underneath a tree at the park, and then he made a really dumb joke, but when I went to reply, he just...had this expression on his skull…” You shake your head, a dreamy smile decorating your face.

“KYAAAAAAA!” Alphys squeals, throwing herself backwards dramatically. Laughing at her silly reaction, you continue:

“And we just leaned in, and then...we kissed...and he held my face in his hands, and we stared at each other afterwards…” You sigh shakily, putting your chin in the palm of your hand. “Then he asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend…and obviously I said yes.”

“Oh my stars!” your friend yells. “I’m so happy for you. That’s awesome!”

“Thanks,” you say. 

“So what’s it like to kiss a skeleton?”

After chatting with Alphys some more, you decide to head home and help your parents. She makes you promise to keep her updated on your relationship, to which you readily agree. 

You drive home with a silly smile on your face.

…

As you walk downstairs, you’re hit with the welcoming scent of something being cooked by your mother. Dustin is there with her, helping her chop vegetables.

“There you are,” your brother says, raising an eyebrow at you. “Doing okay?”

You nod, smiling halfheartedly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You’ve seemed a little distant.”

“I’m okay, just been stressed about my final project,” you state. Hey, it’s not entirely a lie - after all, you’ve been working on editing and sketching ideas for your ensemble.

But, another part of you is extremely worried for tonight’s dinner. Ever since you and Sans had began dating, Chara had gradually stopped texting you. More than a few times, you had tried to prompt him back into conversation, but he didn’t seem as enthusiastic now. It started feeling like you were forcing him, so you stopped.

That also meant your study sessions aren’t occurring anymore. You can’t help but be disappointed - after all, you were always productive during those times. Not to mention that you’re starting to miss the red-eyed boy dearly. Working on your project just doesn’t feel the same now.

You hope it won’t be awkward tonight.

“Well, take tonight off and enjoy it!” your mom chirps. “This is going to be so much fun!”

You nod, but can’t bring yourself to smile just yet. Instead, you walk towards the living room and begin tidying it up a bit so you can take your mind off of things.

The Dreemurrs are supposed to be here in half an hour, and you can feel the butterflies in your stomach growing with every passing second. Once you’re done straightening, you sit on the couch and fiddle with your fingers as you space out for a second.

Soon enough, your brother joins you on the couch, snapping you out of your daze. He shoots you a questioning glance.

“Okay, something’s obviously wrong,” Dustin says, leaning towards you. “What is it? I promise I won’t tell.”

You sigh, considering his offer for a moment before relenting. “Fine. You know how Chara and I had study sessions? Well, we had them for a while, and they were really fun because we were always productive! But, ever since Sans and I started dating, he just...dropped contact gradually? Now we don’t meet up anymore, and I’m really afraid of things being awkward now…”

“I see,” your brother replies, going silent for a minute. “Well, I have a feeling I know what’s up, but it’s not really my place to make guesses. I think your best bet is to talk to him.”

“But everyone’s gonna be here,” you protest, flopping your back onto the couch dramatically.

“Don’t worry about that,” Dustin responds with a smirk. “I’ll make sure it happens.”

Despite feeling a tad embarrassed, you can’t help but feel a bit better knowing that he’ll have your back. Your older brother could really be an asshole sometimes, but it’s times like these where you’re thankful to have his guidance and support.

“Thank you,” you say quietly.

He nods in response before patting your knee and picking up a controller on the table. He turns on your family’s video game console before handing you another controller. 

“See if you can beat me.”

You groan. Since Dustin’s your older brother, he’s practically impossible for you to beat. No matter how into it you’re getting, he always manages to find a way to trip you up or straight-up destroy your Smash Bros character. Soon enough, as the two of you are finishing your last round, you hear a car pulling up in the driveway. The two of you let the game idle on the menu as your father opens the door and greets the Dreemurrs.

Frisk and Asriel are the first ones inside, their eyes lighting up when they see you sitting on the couch. Before you know it, you’re tackled in a hug.

“Hey guys!” you greet.

“Hey!” Frisk responds.

“Howdy!” Asriel adds, a big grin on his face.

“Well, well, well,” Dustin says, smirking and folding his arms. “Are these the kids that you challenged?”

“They are indeed,” you reply.

“You must be her brother…” Frisk says, trailing off as Asriel gasps.

“There’s no way we can beat him. She was hard enough, and we still couldn’t defeat her…”

Dustin chuckles, pulling out a spare controller from the drawer. “Show me what you guys got.”

A nervous chuckle escapes you as they go to choose their characters before you hear Asgore’s deep voice rumbling through the hallway. Standing, you decide to join your mother in the kitchen, silently slipping past the rest of the Dreemurrs, who are all focused on your dad, thankfully.

Once you successfully arrive at your destination, you spot your mom making the final preparations for the dinner.

“Can I help?” you ask, smiling at your mother.

“Of course. Mind getting the potatoes out and all the toppings chopped and ready?”

Nodding, you set your mind on doing the task. Soon, you greet Toriel and Asgore, noting that Chara must be in the living room with his siblings.

“Hello, Toriel!” Mom says, her smile appearing. “How are you doing this evening?”

“Oh, just fine, and yourself?”

“I’m doing great! Did you all get here alright?”

As you work, you listen to their conversation as Toriel insists on helping in any way she can. Soon, your dad comes in with Asgore. It seems they’re talking about monster politics.

Once you remove the baked potatoes from the oven, you set them aside before starting on chopping up toppings and shredding cheese.

Frisk and Asriel are getting very pumped up about something, from what you can hear. They’re yelling frustratedly from time to time as the familiar but slightly maniacal laughter of your brother emanates from the living room.

“Alright, sweetie, once you’re done with those, will you fetch everyone from the living room?” your mom asks.

You nod. “Sure.” You don’t have much left to do, so it doesn’t take long. Once you’re finished, you peek into the living room to see what’s making the kids so rowdy. 

Dustin is currently using his final smash, which is knocking Frisk’s character off the stage. Asriel is trying to land a few hits on your brother’s character, but is prevented by your brother kicking to the left. Chara isn’t playing, but is sitting off to the side watching the TV quietly.

Dustin laughs as the game ends, the screen scrolling around his character as he does the victory animation. “You two are pretty good, I gotta admit. I was pretty worried there at the end.”

Frisk and Asriel begin to talk over each other, exchanging stories about the legendary battle as though the other wasn't sitting right next to them the whole time.

You chuckle to yourself as you watch the scene, but your laugh dies when you see your brother giving Chara a disapproving side-eye. The red-eyed boy chuckles nervously and averts eye contact. You sigh in annoyance but are also kind of grateful.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but dinner’s ready!” you say, smiling. They all thank you, and for a moment, you lock eyes with Chara. You freeze for a second, but smile a little bit. To your relief, he returns the grin.

When you return to the kitchen, you find that Toriel and your mother are either making final preparations or setting the table. You help Toriel by picking up a stack of fancy plates and walking into the kitchen.

“Hello, my child,” Toriel greets as you set the stack down before distributing them according to seats. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been well!!” you reply, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“That’s good to hear. May I ask how those prints are coming along? Asgore showed me the samples you sent, and they’re absolutely stunning.”

A genuine smile appears on your face this time. “Thank you very much! They’re coming along very well, I think. I’m almost finished editing them all, so I should have them sent to the printing shop by the end of the week.”

“We’re excited to see them printed out. Also…” Toriel trails off for a moment before continuing. “Would you mind printing an extra copy of the statue picture for me?”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” you reply.

“Thank you, dear. There’s something about that photo...it just so strongly reminds me of my children.”

“Really?” you ask. You just thought it had looked pretty at the time! “Well...I’m glad you like it.”

“Mom!” Frisk cries upon entering the room. “We just got DESTROYED!”

“Oh my,” Toriel replies with a light chuckle. “Are you talking about that video game you two are always playing?”

“Yes!” Asriel adds dramatically as Dustin appears behind the two and pats their heads.

“They’re tough, I’ll admit that much,” your older brother says, smirking a little bit. “But, I’d be happy to show you two some of my tricks and techniques later on.”

“Really?!” Asriel asks, eye lighting up. “That’d be awesome!”

“Then we’d stand a chance against her!” Frisk adds, pointing at you.

“Not so fast,” Dustin challenges, grinning proudly. “My little sister learned from the best. She’s not gonna be taken down so easily. But you can certainly try. We’ll do it after dinner, then.”

With that, everyone begins sitting down as food is brought to the table. You help move the food to the table, so you’re one of the last ones to sit down.

“Thank you for helping,” Mom says as you follow her into the dining room, where everyone else is excitedly chattering. Your mom takes a seat at the end of the table, leaving the only free spot next to…

_ Chara. Of course. Just my luck. _

Pushing your thoughts aside, you sit down and listen in on the conversation at hand, putting on your best smile as food is passed around.

“I hear that you all are making significant progress regarding the integration of magic,” your father begins, his question directed at Asgore.

“Indeed, we are,” Asgore answers. “We’re working to have magic established as reliable sources for different types of science, which, in itself is a challenge due to the sheer nature of the research.”

“How are you going about that?” you mother asks.

You tune out the conversation for a while and focus on eating. Throughout the dinner, despite the laughs and conversation, you still can’t shake off the tight feeling in your chest.

…

When everyone is about finished eating, your mother stands.

“Well, I suppose I should attend to our dessert-”

“Wait,” Dustin interrupts. “(Y/N) told me she wanted to bake. Isn’t that right?” He glances at you with a knowing expression, and immediately you nod, catching his drift.

“Yeah!” you say. “I got it, Mom.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, looking a bit puzzled. It seems as if she had caught the wordless conversation you and your brother had, but she doesn’t say anything about it.

“Yeah, you’ve been cooking all day!” you assure, pushing your chair in. “Now, can I take your plates if you’re finished?”

Everyone accepts your offer and thanks you as they hand you their dirtied silverware and plates. Once you have them, you head into the kitchen to gently place them in the sink. After that, you roll up your sleeves before washing your hands.

“Mind if I help?”

You turn to see Chara standing there, a small smile on his face.

“Of course not,” you reply, smiling. “Wash your hands first, then we’ll get started.”

Turning back around, you grin as you get a good idea.You reach over to the aprons before grabbing a pink one and a (f/c) one. After putting on the latter, you turn around and hand the pink apron to Chara, who stares at you.

“What.”

You try to suppress a laugh and keep your face straight as you shake the hand holding the pink apron. Chara takes it with a pout and playfully shoots a determined glare towards you.

“Just you watch, (Y/N). I’m gonna rock this apron.”

You can’t hold your laughter in anymore. “I don’t doubt it, Chara.”

He sticks his tongue out at you before looping the strap over his head and tying the apron around his waist. You snort out a laugh before turning away and snatching a bowl from the cupboard. You set it on the counter and grab the other utensils that you will need. 

“Will you get the butter and eggs, please?” Chara flashes you a thumbs up and does so. You gather the rest of the ingredients. 

You begin to mix the cookies absentmindedly, your mind racing. It was nice joking with him earlier, but now things seem kind of awkward.  _ Why is he so distant? Did I do something wrong? Am I just a bad friend? _ Your thoughts continue on a similar track.

_ Let’s see. When did he start getting distant? It was a couple of days after the fair, right? Did I do something at the fair? Maybe it- Oh! Sans asked me out after the fair. Maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe…oh. Does Chara…like me?  _ You sneak a glance at the red-eyed boy, who is currently reading the recipe, a conflicted expression on his face. You look back at the bowl. No,  _ that can’t be it. Maybe he’s having trouble with schoolwork? No, whatever this is, I think that it’s my fault. Maybe- _

You continue to fix the cookie batter, working in calculated motions, thoughts scattered. You’re nearly finished when you suddenly are enveloped by strong but gentle arms around your waist, halting your progress. Chara is hugging you from behind, you realize, and his face is buried in your shoulder.

You gasp softly. “Ch-Chara?”

“‘I...I’m sorry I’ve been so... distant,” he mumbles. “I was confused and I didn’t know how to deal with it… I’m sorry that I made you upset.”

His words make you feel a little better, but it still doesn’t feel complete. You turn around and give him a proper hug, wrapping your arms around his neck as he pulls your waist closer.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” you say. “I’ve missed spending time with you. I should’ve-”

“No, let’s not have any of that,” he replies. “What’s done is done.”

You can’t help but smile as you lean back a little to look at him. “I need to show you something when we’re done here.”

“What might that be?”

“It’s a surprise!” you reply, returning to your cookie dough with a little more enthusiasm this time.

He chuckles as you stir happily. The silence is much more comfortable now. “Could you get me the chocolate chips, please?”

“Sure thing!” he chirps, and you can’t help but laugh at his eagerness. After playfully wrestling the bag out of Chara’s grip, you measure out the correct amount (plus some more, to Chara’s delight). You spoon out the batter onto a waiting pan together and slide the baking sheet into the oven. Then, you set the timer and turn to Chara. “Alright! Now we - Chara!”

Your friend freezes, the chocolate chip bag lifted to his mouth.

“Now Chara…” you scold, reaching for the bag. He quickly lifts the bag above your head. Standing on your tiptoes, you reach for it, giggling. He smoothly steps away, retreating to the stove to escape you. Laughing, you follow.

...

The timer goes off, the shrill beeping making you cease chasing Chara around the kitchen. You take a potholder and cautiously remove the cookie sheets from the oven, the amazing smell making you inhale deeply with a smile.

You and Chara transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. After washing the dishes, you both move the warm cookies to a plate and carry it to the living room, where both your families are sitting.

“The cookies are ready!” you say happily, giggling at the various cheers that sound around the room. You walk around the room, letting everyone take a warm cookie off the plate. When you pass by Dustin, your brother raises his eyebrow and nods his head at Chara. You grin and nod at him in response. He smiles and takes a cookie.

After everyone has a cookie, you set the plate on the coffee table and sit next to Chara, who winks at you. 

“Wow! These cookies are really great, (Y/N) and Chara!!” Frisk says, grabbing a second cookie. 

“Yeah!” Asriel chirps.

“Yes, these cookies are very nice, child,” Toriel says.

“She had a good helper,” Chara says, slinging an arm around your shoulders. You roll your eyes with a small smile.

“Chara, I had to stop you from eating all of the chocolate chips.”

“And I had to make you put enough in the dough,” he replies.

“You’re hopeless..” you mumble, munching on a cookie. It’s warm and gooey with an immense amount of chocolate.

“I know,” he coos.

After a few minutes, you remember telling Chara about your surprise and jump up. The majority of the other adults had left to go talk on the patio, so it’s just you, your brother, Chara, and the kids.

“Chara, come here,” you say, bouncing up to your room.

“Okay, okay, slow down, sunshine,” he replies with a chuckle as he follows you upstairs.

“Don’t get too crazy,” your brother calls with a smirk. You roll your eyes and ignore him.

With that, you drag your friend to your room, before closing the door until it’s slightly ajar. Then, you turn to Chara.

“This is my room!” you say, smiling and jumping up as you throw your hands out to the side with a proud grin.

“Wow,” Chara says, chuckling. “This is really cool. Mind if I look?” He gestures to your wall of pictures, causing you to nod excitedly.

You watch as he studies each photo carefully. While he’s looking, you turn to your closet and open it, pulling something out.

That something is a fairly large, wooden frame that you’d painted silver. It has a teensy bit of glitter on it as well. Wrapped around it are battery-powered fairy lights that blink. Pinned on the backside of the frame are four rows of twin and five columns to make a grid. Clipped to the intersecting parts of the twine are all of the pictures you’d taken for your project so far.

“Chara, look!”

He turns from where he’s standing, jaw dropping when he sees your project. A giggle escapes you as he crouches down to view the pictures individually.

“Wow…” he says, smiling. “These turned out great. You’re over halfway finished already!”

“I know,” you reply, propping the board up against your bed before sitting down on the floor beside him.

“Man, a lot of these are from the festival…”

“Yeah, those take up like half...then there’s the one I took at the library, one I took with my friends…”

“They’re all great,” Chara replies. “I can tell you really put your heart into your pictures. You’re gonna ace this fucking project, sunshine.”

“Thanks, I...really appreciate that.”

The two of you observe the photos for a while until he speaks up again.

“Are you happy with him?”

Your smile fades as you turn towards him. “I am.”

“That’s good,” he says, “Take care of him. He’s a good guy, one of my best friends, but he’s too hard on himself sometimes.”

You nod. “I will.”

After a few minutes of silence, the two of you are called back downstairs.

...

“Thank you all for dinner!” Toriel says, embracing your mother as though they were old friends. 

“We had a lovely time.”

Your mother hugs back while responding. “Oh, it was a pleasure! We should do this more!”

The moms begin to chatter about recipes and the like, while the dads shake hands. Frisk and Asriel are hugging Dustin, lamenting that they don’t want to leave. Dustin chuckles.

“Hey, kiddos, we’ll meet again! In the meantime, practice connecting your side-b’s. When they hit right, they could win you the game.”

You laugh and turn your attention to Chara, who is watching his family with a fond smile. You walk over and throw your arms around him.

He chuckles as he hugs you back. “Wow, two hugs in one evening? I’m sure lucky.” 

You hug him tight smiling into his shirt. You step back before looking up at your friend.

“Chara? Can we go back to having studying sessions?”

Chara ruffles your hair.

“I’d love that.”


	11. Anticipation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! C4AP8 here. It's been a while, but we finally managed to finish this stupid chapter up! Some of the scenes are likely rushed, and that's because we were sick and tired of staring at them. We apologize for the wait and hope that you all enjoy it!
> 
> Also, as of right now we're possibly looking at 2-3 arcs for this story. Arc 1 is just about completed!

**Chapter XI - Anticipation**

**[Tuesday, 8:37 AM]**   
**Chara <3: Hey sunshine, good news!**   
**You: ?!**   
**Chara <3: So, remember Undyne? well she talked to her boss and he approved for you to come and take pictures of their department.**   
**You: Omg, really?!?!**   
**Chara <3: Yep! Are you free today? We could probably go after our study session, if that works for you**   
**You: omg omg yesssss**   
**Chara <3: perfect, I’ll let them know we’ll be there then >:)**   
**You: awesome!! Thanks :D**   
**Chara <3: you got it, sunshine**

…

You step into the police station, Chara at your side. You look around, searching for Undyne and her team.

Officers are crowded around various desks and workstations, some of them with mugs and others with papers. There are a good mix of monsters and humans - most of the monsters dogs - and some are clustered in groups chatting idly while others are hard at work.

“NERD!”

Undyne dashes up to you with a big grin and catches you in a bone-crushing hug. You groan but pat her awkwardly on the back before she releases you.

“Alright, first up, let me give you the tour…”

With that, Undyne begins showing you around the station. You greet the rest of her teams as well as the police commissioner, to whom you show samples of your work, which he compliments. After a bit of chatting, he hands you a slip of paper with a business email address and phone number. Undyne gives you a big thumbs up and a stupid grin, which you can’t help but return.

After you’ve met the team, have been given a tour, and have taken a few pictures, you decide that it’s time for you to leave. You wave everyone goodbye, announcing that you’ll be in touch.

...

Business seems pretty slow today. It’s quiet, with the exception of your mother humming softly in the back room.

Chara had come in earlier today in order to buy his typical few bars of chocolate. It had been about a week or so since the dinner, and things had looked up for the two of you, thankfully. Your study sessions had finally resumed, and you felt things had nearly returned to the way they were before. 

You are startled out of your thoughts by the door opening. You go to see who it is.

“Sans!”

Your boyfriend walks up to the counter, one hand behind his back and a smug smile on his face.

“heya, sugar.”

You walk out from behind the counter to give him a big hug. You step back and look at him, one eyebrow raised. “What’s behind your back?”

Sans chuckles and brings his arm out from behind him. “i be-leafed you might like these.”

It’s a colorful bouquet of flowers. There are many types in many colors, all coming together to make a beautiful array of plants. A gasp escapes you as he hands it to you. You take it, bouncing a little bit with a big grin on your face.

“Oh my stars, Sans, you didn’t have to do this! But thank you, they’re gorgeous!”

He chuckles lightly as you hug the bouquet. “anything for you, verte-bae.”

You return to the counter before looking around underneath for anything to put it in. An old candy mason jar catches your attention as you stoop in order to grab it. Once you place it on the counter, you proceed to trim the stems of the flowers before unwrapping the plastic and filling the jar with a bit of water. After that, you set the flowers inside before arranging them neatly and nodding in approval. Then, you turn your attention back to the skeleton smiling cheekily in front of you.

“got any plans after work?”

You trail off, thinking. Chara had called today’s session off, claiming that he had to help one of his monster friends move houses. Or something like that. He seemed a little hyper this morning. You don’t have class today either, so you think you’re pretty much free for the rest of the day.

“No,” you answer, a smile already creeping onto your lips as his grin grows wider and he leans over the counter.

“well...i was thinking that we could go walk around when you’re done, if you want…” he says, scratching the back of his skull. “maybe get some coffee or something.”

“That sounds fun!” you reply, leaning closer towards him so that your nose is gently pressed against his nasal bone. “Are you gonna stick around?”

“of course,” he mutters, eyelids drooping slowly as he closes the gap between the two of you. Once more, you feel his teeth brush against yours in a skelekiss while his hands come up to your cheeks.

“That doesn’t look like work,” comes another voice. Eyes widening, you pull yourself away with a blush to see your mother standing in the doorway to the back room with a small smirk and crossed arms.

“i beg to differ,” Sans jokes, smiling as he stands up straight. “she’s helping out a very important customer.”

Your mother shakes her head affectionately. “I can take over for the rest of the shift, dear. Go have fun.”

“Really?” you ask, smiling.

She nods. “You’ve been working hard lately. You deserve it!”

“Yay! Thanks, Mom!” you cry, hugging her before you take off your apron and hang it up. Once you grab your bag, you join Sans’ side before waving to your mother.

“I’m glad that worked out,” you say, looping your fingers through Sans’ phalanges as the two of you walk down the street.

“me too. now we have even more time.”

“So...where to first?”

“coffee sound good?”

…

You roam the aisles of the bookstore with your boyfriend, holding your to-go cup of coffee in your hand. You aren't much of a book person, preferring video games instead of reading, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a good novel now and then. Sans really seems to love reading, picking up books and telling you which ones you should read. Excited Sans is adorable, you think, smiling slightly as he exuberantly tells you the plot of a specific book. 

“-so the wizard gathers a group of random warriors and they travel across the world! there’s a lot of really cool battles, and-”

He rambles on, oblivious to you watching him fondly. 

He finishes his speech, smiling sheepishly. “was that too much?” You shake your head with a small laugh.

“That sounds really cool! I’d like to read it.”

Sans brightens up.

You look down the manga aisle ahead. “I kinda want to go down this one. Alphys recommended some manga for me to read.”

“aisle leave you to it then. i my-shelf am not really interested in manga, and i want to grab those books i was talkin’ about.”

You nod and laugh as Sans leaves.

Walking down the aisle, you pull out your phone and snap a picture of the selection of manga. You send it to Alphys and look through the many shelves of merchandise. A second later, you get a flurry of texts from Alphys.

**Alphys: omg!!**   
**Alphys: manga heaven UwU**   
**Alphys: there are so many good ones!!! \\( >o<)\**   
**Alphys: I would recommend getting…**

She tells you some of her favorites, and which ones would be best to get. You gather some interesting looking ones plus two or three of Alphys’ suggestions, and stand, grinning as you see Sans coming back, a stack of books in his arms.

After checking out together, you leave the bookstore.

“what would you like to do next?” Sans asks, hefting the bag of books over his shoulder before opening the door for you.

You hum thoughtfully before responding. “Lunch?”

Sans nods, ever present grin widening. 

...

After spending some time with Sans, you head home. You had some manga to read, and some video games to play. It had been awhile since you took some time to just relax and have fun by yourself. 

You open the door of your house, and step in, dropping your purse on the couch. A quick walk around tells you that the house is empty. You smirk. The house to myself? Nice.

After making yourself a cup of hot chocolate, you walk to your room, humming a cheerful tune.

Closing your door behind you, you set your mug on the desk and flop into your beanbag. Gazing around your room, your eyes find the pictures you’ve taken in the past hanging over your bed. You chuckle when you see a couple of pictures of you and Max getting into trouble as children. 

Ahh, Max. Your best friend since childhood. She’s been with you through a lot. You had struggled through middle school together, gone through high school together…

Even after all your other friends had moved away after high school, Max stayed with you.

That makes you think. 

_Will I...ever want to move?_

You're not really an adventurous person. You’ve never really felt the need to travel.

I like being in Ebott. Especially now that I have more friends. The Dreemurrs, Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus… Sans.

When you think of him, a whole new subject comes to mind.

_What do I want to do after college?_

Marriage has always been on your list. You’ve always wanted to have a family. And now that you're dating Sans….

You suddenly blush and hide your head in your hands.

_Nononono!!! NOT going there!!_

You shake your head and change the subject, ignoring the image of Sans in a tuxedo that popped up into your head. What job would you like to work after college?

Do you want to continue being a candy shop employee? No, not really. It’s a good job to have during college, but afterwards? No… after college you might have had enough candy.

How would mom and dad react to that, though? _They know that I won’t stay an employee forever, so I don’t think that they would be upset._

You sit up and rest your hand on your knee, lost in thought. Maybe you could start some sort of photography job on the side. One based on commissions that you could do while raising a family.

_Hmmm…that idea bears merit._

After shifting in place and snatching the controller from its resting place, you begin your game. The beautiful music and stunning visuals captivate you as you hum thoughtfully. Let’s leave that for another day.

...

A few hours later, you decide to turn off your game and work on your project. The due date is fast approaching, and you want to be ready. You kneel in front of the picture frame, looking down at your creation. Your hand makes its way across the board, fingers finally resting on your favorite picture.

It’s from the festival that Chara took you to. You and your friend are sitting on a bench, grinning at the camera. Chara has one arm around your shoulders, the other holding the camera. You are leaning close to him, hands up in a peace sign. 

You smile. Stars, you have amazing friends.

You fiddle with the project some more, moving pictures, fixing the frame and making sure everything is perfect. Once you're satisfied, you snap a picture and send it to Chara.

A minute later, you receive an answer.

**[Wednesday 5:23 AM]**   
**Chara <3 : Looks great!**   
**Chara <3 : your definitely gonna pass :D**   
**You: Thanks Chara :)**

You smile. What did you do to deserve Chara?

Several minutes later, your phone chimes, signalling another message. It chimes again. And again. And again. Who is texting you this much? Curious, you look.

**[Wednesday, 5:38 AM]**   
**Undyne: Hey PUNK >:D**   
**Undyne: It was GREAT to see you yesterday!**   
**Undyne: We need to be hanging out more!**   
**Undyne: We should have a BADASS GAME NIGHT**   
**Undyne: WITH PIZZA**   
**Undyne: AND OTHER UNHEALTHY SNAX**   
**Undyne: IT WOULD BE AWESOME >:D**

You laugh at the flurry of messages. A game night with Undyne sounds… pretty epic not gonna lie.

**You: That sounds fun! I’d be down!**   
**You: When?**

With this, you set your phone down and move your project to a safer place. As you lift the large frame, your phone begins to chime again. Man, she’s fast. You finish stowing the project away and jump to your phone.

**Undyne: ummmm**   
**Undyne: idk I didnt think that far ahead**   
**Undyne: Alphys says in a couple of weeks?**   
**Undyne: We need time to prepare >:D**

You look at your calendar, noting that you will be free in a couple of weeks. The only thing coming up is turning in your art project next week. And minding the store, but your family can always cover for you if needed.

**You: Sounds good to me!**   
**You: Thanks for inviting me Undyne! I’m all fired up now >:D**   
**Undyne: NP NERD! IT’LL BE SO COOL**   
**Undyne: Alphys says hi and nice anime reference**   
**You: Hi Alphys!**   
**Undyne: She says hi**   
**Undyne: she wants to know how you like your manga**

You look at the stack of books on your desk longingly.

**You: haven't started em yet but i mean to soon**   
**You: Tell her i said thanks for the suggestions!**   
**You: I honestly can’t wait haha**

With this text, you stand and go to your desk, ready to sort through the books and start reading.

You quickly lose track of time as you read. What a nice end to a nice day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with us! We hope you enjoyed it! Let us know your thoughts :) we're still not sure if we'll be able to stick to our schedule, but we'll do our best.


	12. Heartache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> We have an extra long update for y’all today along with some incredible news!
> 
> WE GOT TGH FANART?!?!?! IT’S SO AMAZING AND WONDERFUL GO AND FUCKING LOOK AT IT!
> 
> https://hypercircuitao3.tumblr.com/post/627485793574928384/some-simply-fantastic-fanart-of-the-golden-hour
> 
> Millions upon millions of thanks to our amazing friend InudaTheFox who made us this ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC art piece. If you want to see more of their work, go check them out!! 
> 
> Seriously guys, LOOK AT HOW PERFECT THAT ART IS! CHARA IS SO FUCKING ADORABLE AAAAA-
> 
> Words can not describe how happy that fanart has made us :3
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all of the support! Hopefully we'll have more updates in the near future! 
> 
> Enjoy!

****

****

**Please check out[InudaTheFox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InudaTheFox/pseuds/InudaTheFox)!**

* * *

**Chapter XII - Heartache**

The text comes in the morning. It arrives just as you pull on your shoes and shoulder your backpack.

**[Friday: 7:14]**

**Sans: hey**

**Sans: can we talk?**

It makes you shiver slightly. You’ve heard about texts like these in memes and fanfictions. They never mean anything good. Setting your backpack down, you sit on the foot of your bed.

**You: Sure?**

**You: What about?**

**You: Is everything okay?**

You bite your lip. Maybe that third text was overkill. But hey! You have reason to worry! Sans _never_ sounds serious in his texts! He always sends you memes or pickups lines. This is different.

And you don’t like it.

Your phone chimes.

**Sans: can you meet me at the top of ebbot tonite?**

**You: The place we had our first date?**

**Sans: yea**

Your heartbeat quickens.

**You: Yeah, I can meet you there**

**You: You okay?**

**Sans: fine**

**Sans: meet u at like 9?**

**You: Okay**

**You: Have an amazing day today :)**

**Sans: thnx**

You wait for a minute, but he doesn’t respond after that. You shove your phone in your pocket and stand, gathering your things. Project, backpack, water bottle… all good.

The walk to class is stressful, with you overthinking every part of this morning’s exchange.

After fretting the whole way, you put your foot down. 

_No! Stop overthinking! Worrying will get you nowhere! Now leave your anxiety at the door, please and thank you!_

You shove all thoughts of Sans to the back of your mind and march into the college.

As you walk down the hallway to your classroom, you fidget with your project, making sure everything is ready. You stop at the door and take a deep breath.

Despite the numerous encouragement and praise from your family and friends, you still feel slightly nervous about turning in your pictures.

Suddenly, you stomp your foot. No! You worked hard on your project! You’ve been eagerly waiting for this day! Anxiety be damned!

You push the door open and walk to your seat, where Max, Napstablook and Temmie sit.

“Hiya, guys.”

Napstablook and Temmie greet you. Max looks up from her project, which appears to be a frame much like yours.

“Oh, hi, (Y/N)! How are you doing?”

You plop into your seat. “A little nervous, but I can handle it. Ooh, can I see your project?”

Max grins before passing you the frame. You pass her yours in return, before studying it.

It’s a brown frame the size of a shoebox. In the frame is a thin sheet of corkboard. Pinned onto the corkboard are many pictures that seem to be showing marks left in nature that symbolize unity- Just Max’s style.

You marvel at the beautiful pictures. You start to tell Max what you think, but you’re interrupted by Professor Jefferson entering the room. You hand her project back with a thumbs up. She gives you an enthusiastic smile while handing yours back, and you both turn to face the professor.

“Alright, everyone! Today, as you know, is the day to turn in your projects! With such an amazing class, I know that everyone must’ve put their heart into this assignment! Now if you all can bring your projects forward and put them on my desk, we’ll jump back into normal work. By the end of the week, I promise I will have graded them all. Sounds good?”

The class murmurs. Professor Jefferson claps. “Okay then, please bring up your projects!”

As the class walks up to his desk, you notice Max shooting you a concerned look. You look away and place your frame on the professor’s desk. 

You and the rest of the students sit, and class starts. 

“Alright class! Today we will be reviewing the daguerreian process! As you know, the daguerreian process was invented by the French artist and scenic painter Louis Daguerre in-”

You tune out the professor’s voice and rest your head in your hands. You had told yourself to not think of Sans, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Time passes as you sink deeper into your thoughts. 

Suddenly, you feel something touch your arm. You startle out of your thoughts and look up.

Max looks at you, obviously concerned. 

_‘You okay?’_ She mouths. You nod, forcing a small smile on your face.

She frowns and shakes her head, pointing at her face. You bring a hand up, eyes widening when you feel a wet substance. Tears? When did you start crying? You move your head and look at the professor.

Max suddenly looks determined, and she stows her hands under the desk. The class continues.

Class ends, and you gather your stuff. Your desk mates begin talking. Suddenly BP slams his hands down on the table.

“Did that ketchup-drenched, stank-ass smelling skeleton hurt you in any way, shape or form?!”

“Huh?!” you ask, recoiling a bit. “No, not at all, BP-”

Burgerpants frowns, then pretends to smell something. He sniffs a few times before saying: “That smell…” he sniffs again. “It’s so familiar…” Another sniff. “You know what that scent is?”

“...No…?”

“IT’S THE UNFORGETTABLE STENCH OF BULLSHIT!” he yells, causing a few stares to be cast your way.

“BP, no-”

“BP YES!” he retorts. “Look. You were crying for stars’ sake! You don’t cry easily! It’s only over emotional shit, and I’d say having a dumbass for a boyfriend like Sans can be...draining.”

“It’s fine. He’s just acting weird, that’s all.”

...

The library is quiet today. With only one or two students studying or looking for books in the wide shelves that stand in the middle of the room.

You sit in the back, laptop open, absentmindedly scrolling through memes. You smile at one or two, but you’re mostly deep in your thoughts.

_Why does Sans want to talk?_

_Why did he sound so serious?_

_Did I do something wrong?_

_I did. I bet I did something wrong._

_What did I do?_

_How can I fix this?_

_How can I-_

Suddenly a steaming cup is pushed next to you, as well as a warm box. Both engraved with Muffet’s special symbol.

You look up in surprise. Chara looks concerned as he sits across from you. He pushes the box and cup closer to you. Curious, you look inside both.

Your favorite kind of coffee, and favorite donut. Both hot and steaming.

Your mood is instantly lifted, and you smile at the sweet gesture, shoving Sans to the back of your mind once more. “Oh, Chara!”

Chara smiles lopsidedly, but you still see a bit of worry in his eyes.

“Anything for you, sunshine,” he says.

You take a sip of coffee and practically melt. 

“This is exactly what I needed,” you sigh in delight. "Thank you so much."

Chara raises an eyebrow. “Yeah. Looks like you’ve had a rough day,” he states, setting up his laptop.

You nod, taking a bite out of a donut. “I guess you could say that…”

“Wanna talk about it?”

You shake your head, crossing your arms. “I’m firmly putting Sans out of my mind. I’m not going to think about him.”

“Sans? What did he do?” Chara questions, looking upset.

You stare absentmindedly at your hands, fidgeting slightly as you speak. “Well, this morning he sent me this really out-of-character text. I can tell something’s wrong. I think he’s upset, but I don’t know why. Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course you didn’t,” Chara assures, taking your hands in his. 

“I feel like I did something, though…”

“It’s not you, babe. He’s been pretty distant to everyone lately, so I’ve heard, and it’s not abnormal for him to act off every now and then.”

“I don’t know, Chara,” you mumble, sighing. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Chara’s face softens and he sighs. “Everything will be fine, sunshine. But know: No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you, okay?”

A small smile comes to your face and you nod.

“You just need to stay determined, (Y/N).” Chara squeezes your hands before letting go.

“Anyway!” he starts. “I don’t feel much like studying. Let’s watch something!”

Chara pulls up a video and hands you an earphone, which you take with a smile.

“Thanks, Chara. You’re the best.”

He only smiles and starts the video. 

…

When you approach the base of the mountain, you can’t help but freeze momentarily as you see Sans standing underneath a streetlight, hands tucked in his hoodie pockets and gaze downcast. A frown instantly forms on your lips as you see his slumped posture as he leans against the pole. You walk up to him with fidgeting fingers and will yourself to speak.

“Sans?” you ask, standing directly in front of him. “Is everything okay?”

Just by looking at his dimmer-than-usual pinpoints, you can tell something’s wrong - they’re fuzzy and unfocused. He looks up at you, and smiles at you. For some reason, it feels painfully forced.

“c’mere,” he mumbles, extending his hand out to you.

“Sans?” you ask again. “I can tell something’s wron-”

“let’s just walk for a minute, yeah? i’ll explain everything up top.”

You stare at him for a few more seconds before nodding and reluctantly taking his hand. Immediately, he guides you up the trail to your stargazing area.

Despite wanting to know what’s up with him tonight, your gut is telling you to remain silent until he speaks again, so that’s what you do. The chilly air gnaws at your goosebump-covered skin, causing you to pull your jacket around you tighter with your free hand. The dark trail is quiet with the exception of crunching vegetation underneath your feet along with the gentle whisper of the breeze.

A few minutes later, the two of you arrive at your spot, where you tentatively sit down beside him. He’s still gripping your hand, and now he’s absentmindedly rubbing his phalanges over your freezing knuckles.

“i think you’re amazing,” he mumbles, stare averted at your knuckles as he speaks. “you’re kind, patient, beautiful, caring...everything i could ever ask for and more. you’re so wonderful in so many ways; far too many to count, and i can’t believe i had the honor to meet you. to make you laugh, and to make you blush and smile and giggle, to have kissed you and held you, to have been with you. these past few weeks have meant more to me than you’ll ever know and i’ll cherish that forever.”

He’s still not looking at you, which makes you worry. “Sans...I’ve enjoyed it just as much with you as well, but...what are you saying?”

The older skeleton releases a hefty sigh before lifting his gaze to the sky above. “there’s a lot that happened to me in the underground. for safety reasons, i’m not allowed to share exactly what happened, but...it’s taken this toll on me in ways i can’t explain. normally, i’m good at handling it on my own, but i think…” He inhales deeply, and you get the feeling he’s trying desperately to keep himself composed enough to speak. “i don’t think i’m ready for a serious relationship yet. and it’s in no way, shape, or form your fault, alright? you’ve been so good to me. i couldn’t ask for anyone better. there’s just...no way i can be happy with myself. and i think, in order for a relationship to be successful, both parties need to be happy with themselves first. and i’m far from happy with myself.”

As you listen to his words, you feel your eyes growing warm and glassy. Quickly, you blink away your tears before sniffling a little bit.

“oh, sweetheart, please don’t cry!” he pleads, bringing you in for a hug. “i’m so, so sorry, i just can’t dedicate myself to something serious yet, and i can’t drag you into it-”

“Sans, I can help,” you reply, pulling back to look at him as you feel a tear run down your cheek.

“no, love. this is something i need to do on my own,” he mumbles, forehead pressed against yours gently.

As much as you hate to admit it, you know he’s right. More tears escape your eyes and he instantly embraces you again.

“just because we’re breaking up doesn’t mean i won’t support you, alright? we’ll still be friends.”

You nod, choking back a sob as you hug him tightly for what may be the last time. A few seconds later, you separate before looking at him in the eye.

“Will you kiss me one last time?”

He only nods a little bit before his hands press themselves into your cheeks gently, and he pulls you forward. Your lips brush against his teeth, nasal bone touching your nose as you scoot yourself onto his lap and wrap your arms around his cervical vertebrae.

Once you two separate and stand, he holds his hand out to you.

“let me ‘port you home?”

You force yourself to smile through your tears, knowing your voice will break if you speak. Sans says nothing, and soon enough, you’re standing in front of your house.

You want to say something but Sans only brings a single phalange up to your lips. “it’s alright. thank you for everything. i’m gonna miss you so damn much. take care of yourself, okay?” He presses his teeth against your forehead before he vanishes.

Your head is spinning, and now that he’s gone, you release a pained sob before unlocking the door with shaky hands and entering your home.

Luck seems to be against you tonight, because your brother is still up. He’s playing Smash Bros on the TV. You instantly quiet down, gently closing the door in hopes of sneaking past him.

To your dismay, one of the stupid floorboards creaks underneath your weight, which effectively gains Dustin’s attention.

“There you are,” he notes before his eyes fall on your tear-stained face. Instantly his chill demeanor turns into overprotective mode, and he’s in front of you checking for injuries or anything out of the ordinary.

“Dustin! Stop!” you say, pushing him back a bit. His frown only deepens as he takes your shoulders and pushes you onto the couch.

“What happened?”

Your annoyance fades as you lift your sleeve to your face and wipe your tears away. You hate that you’re crying so hard.

“Sans broke up with me.”

His worried expression instantly shifts into something angrier. “The fuck?!”

“He said it was because he wasn’t happy with himself, and that he needs time to figure some of his personal issues out. But, I still can’t help but be hurt,” you mumble. “I was really happy with him.”

“I know you were,” your big brother replies, putting a hand on your knee. “And I’m sorry. But I think this happened for the best. I understand that you’re heartbroken, and that’s okay. You’ll heal with time. You have a good heart and a great group of friends.”

He pulls you in for a hug and lets you just cry for a bit.

You never thought you’d be so heartbroken over a boy. As it turns out, you underestimated the true power of heartbreak and hope you never have to feel it again.

After the hug ends, Dustin pats you on the shoulder. 

“Get some rest, alright? Things will be better in the morning.”

You highly doubt that, but you nod and leave the living room. Once you get to your room, you quickly change into pajamas and flop into bed.

As you cover yourself with blankets, everything hits you again and you begin to sob.

You don’t know how long you stay like that, but eventually you fall asleep.

Back in the living room, Dustin’s face falls as he hears a sob from your room. He wants to go comfort you, but he thinks that you just need to be alone at the moment.

That doesn’t mean he’ll let the matter drop.

He quickly pulls out his phone and opens a new message. 

...

A sigh escapes you as you halfheartedly push open the door to your home. Your family is standing in the living room, all donning concerned expressions. Your parents look like they’re about to speak when Dustin cuts them off:

“Check your phone.”

**[Friday, 4:35 PM]**

**BP: b e h i n d y o u**

You spin around, only for Burgerpants to appear seemingly out of nowhere.

“BP!” you cry, eyes widening. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t ask questions,” he hisses before grabbing your arm. “Just come with me.”

You squeak when he pulls you in the direction of his apartment. When you look back at your house, you see Dustin standing outside, arms crossed and mouth turned into a smirk.

…

When the two of you arrive at BP’s apartment, you find that the rest of your friends are there too - even Chara!

“Surprise!” they all shout, grinning widely. You gasp in shock, noting that the coffee table is completely filled with unhealthy snacks. 

“Guys?!” you exclaim, mood lifting as you smile a bit. “What is this?”

“A little impromptu party to help cheer you up!” Max answers.

“We’re going to eat until we can’t eat anymore and play terrible Wii games!” Chara chimes in, walking over to you and slinging an arm around your shoulders.

“You guys…” you mumble, voice growing soft as you try not to cry. A small smile lines your face as Chara guides you to the couch. You sit down and giggle upon seeing the games neatly displayed on the table. They range from Just Dance 4 to Wii Sports. There are more present that you haven’t played before.

“Which one first?” Chara asks.

The rest of your friends sit down as well, some of them with snacks and drinks in their laps. Chara settles beside you and awaits your answer, eyes gazing at you eagerly.

“Oh! Um…” you lean over the selection of games and begin shuffling through them. One catches your eye - there’s a picture of a woman holding a baby. In bright pink text reads: “babysitting mama”. “I haven’t played this one. Let’s try it.”

Suddenly, something flies out of the corner of your eye and smacks Chara right in the face. He grunts upon impact before his hands fumble to pick up whatever assaulted him.

“A plush baby doll?” you wonder. Chara grumbles before tossing a decorative couch pillow at BP.

“Baby Yuto,” Chara answers. “We slip the Wii remote in the back, and boom. Baby.”

“Alright then,” you mumble, cringing at the slit in the plush’s back. “Let’s get to it.”

“Hey, sunshine?”

“What?”

“You know what they call me?”

“What do they call you, Chara?”

“They call me the God of Wii Babysitting.”

“I don’t think they call you that…”

“Sunshine, they call me the God of Wii Babysitting.”

“Okay, Chara.”

He chuckles. “I played this game with Frisk and Azzy a while back. Only like...once, though. And I didn’t do very well. We found it at a yard sale a few months back and we just played around with it. Azzy’s really good at it.”

“Aww,” you say, smiling. “That’s so sweet.”

“I know,” he chuckles. “Anyways. Pick a game mode, sunshine, and let’s get babysitting!”

To make a long story short, it didn’t go well. Not one bit. You were no good at the back-burping minigame that required a certain rhythm to be established, and Chara couldn’t get the baby to stop crying during the cradle and rock minigame:

“No, no, no!” cries the woman directing your game on screen, “Don’t shake the baby!”

“I’M NOT SHAKING THE FUCKING BABY!” Chara screeches.

The rest of the game continues in a similar manner. No one can master the controls and it ends with Chara rage quitting, to your amusement.

Chara stands, scoffing to himself before dropping the controller on the table. “I’m getting some fucking snacks. Bitchass baby.”

You snort, nodding. “Okay.”

The others are debating about what to play next. You chime in before you sense Chara walking up next to you.

“Sunshine?”

You turn. “Oh, hi again Chara!”

He smiles and pushes something into your hand. You look down.

A shiny bag, the top decorated with a...winking potato?

You look up, mouth opening to ask a question, but Chara beats you to it.

“Popato Chisps,” he says. “Monster food. Down in the Underground, kid’s love ‘em.”

“Oh…” you say, opening the bag. You take a bite of a chip (or chisp?), and your eyes widen. 

“Ohhhmygosh these are really good.”

Somehow, they taste just like your favorite kind of potato chip, but better. The tingly feeling of magic slowly fades away, leaving you giggling.

“Man, monster food is so cool,” you say happily.

Chara laughs, before snatching one of your chisps. You fake pout at him, but he just boops your nose.

“Oh, and before I forget,” he starts, eyeing you seriously. “I want your opinion on something.”

“What is it?” you wonder, tilting your head a bit.

Chara chuckles. “I’ve been thinking about growing my hair out.”

“Really? How long?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking long enough for a ponytail.”

You blink a few times, trying to imagine Chara with longer hair. You picture him with a ponytail, red eyes as a playful and flirty as ever and lips turned into that sexy smirk of his, hand running through his thick locks as he gives you _that_ look-

“Sunshine?” he questions.

“Oh!” you say, snapping out of your thoughts and growing a bit red. “I...I think you should!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” you say.

“Alright then. Thanks!” he replies, grinning before he disappears for a while.

The next time you interact with your red eyed friend is when Max and BP drag you over to their couch to play something.

“What are we doing?” You question, sitting next to Chara, who greets you with a smile.

“Mario Kart!” Max excitedly says, an evil grin on her face. “It’s been _forever_.”

Oh boy. You know first hand how competitive Max gets when it comes to gaming. She may seem sweet and quiet at first glance, but get her playing Mario Kart and:

“BP, YOU FUCKING EASY BAKE OVEN! THAT WAS MY FUCKING ITEM!”

BP only chuckles and swerves away from your angry friend. 

“Chara, how on earth are you so good at this?” You question after driving off of a cliff for the umpteenth time.

“Well you see, sunshine,” he says, expertly navigating Yoshi through the obstacles before him, “when you’re as handsome and incredible as me-”

BP snorts.

“-It comes naturally to you. It also helps that I play this all the time with the twins.” He mutters that last part under his breath.

The game ends with Chara winning, much to Max’s chagrin. After a few more rounds, BP switches games.

“What do we play next?” Chara asks, flipping through the selection of Wii games.

BP suddenly perks up. “How about Mario Part-”

Max slaps her hand over his mouth. “ _No._ ”

He shakes her hand off. “Why not?”

“BP,” Max begins, tone even. “Do you remember what happened _last_ time we played Mario Party?”

Your eyes widen as you recall the battle. Napstablook shivers.

Chara looks lost. “What happened?”

“BP dueled Max for all of her coins right before she hit a start space. She lost and didn’t have enough coins to buy the winning star. They didn’t talk to each other for _days_ ,” you report.

“You only won because my controls were wack,” Max stresses, pointing her finger at BP with narrowed eyes.

BP smirks, unfazed. “That’s what someone with no skills would say.”

Before Max could do anything, you jump in. “Hey, why don’t we play a board game! We haven’t done that in a while!”

Max and BP are successfully distracted once you pull Monopoly out from the game shelf. You and your friends all chose your pieces and the game begins.

And what a game it was. Within the first half hour of playing, Chara has pulled favors and sweet talked enough cash to fully develop the most expensive space...Boardwalk. By the end of the game, he had practically taken over the entire board. 

The game ends with BP flipping the board after landing on Chara’s space, cussing the red-eyed boy out with a quick: “fucking marketing major!” After cleaning up the mess, Max puts on her favorite show and everyone crowds onto the couch.

Chara rests his arm along the back of your neck. With a content hum, you rest your head on his shoulder. 

The party draws on late into the night, and soon, you’ve stuffed yourself full of unhealthy snacks and drinks. Your friends have managed to cheer you up and ease your feelings about the heartbreak for the time being.

Despite all the fun you’re having, you can’t help but grow exhausted. The emotional toll of the breakup along with the constant buzz of activity courtesy of your friends coos your eyes to gently close…

…

“I think it worked, guys,” BP speaks up suddenly. His voice is a bit hushed, though, which catches Chara’s attention.

BP is looking at you. You’re sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed and breathing even. Chara smiles before bending down to your level. He brushes a bit of your hair out of your face before rubbing the skin of your cheek gently.

“I bet she didn’t sleep well last night,” Chara mumbles, frowning as he continues to rub your cheek. “I’ll take her home. Thanks for doing this guys.”

“No problem. Text us when you’re home, okay?” BP replies.

“Will do. See you all later.”

With that, Chara gently slides one of his arms under your knees before slipping his other arm behind your back. After adjusting his foot position, he stands and begins walking out the apartment. Max snatches up your belongings while the rest of your friends follow Chara out the door.

…

The midnight sky glistens with distant stars and thinly-dispersed clouds. Chara smiles softly to himself as he gets out of his car and makes his way to the passenger side, where you’re softly snoozing away. He unbuckles you gingerly before taking you out of the car and carrying you to your front door, where Dustin opens it for Chara.

“There you guys are,” Dustin mumbles. “Thanks for bringing her home. Need a hand?”

“No problem. And her stuff is in the back seat if you want to grab that.”

“Okay. You remember where her room is, right?”

“I do.”

Dustin nods before jogging outside as Chara shifts you in his arms so that he can more comfortably take you to your room.

Once he arrives, he gently lays you down on your bed before pulling your shoes off and pulling the covers around you. After a few seconds, he kneels down beside your head and lowers his lips to your forehead, pressing a gentle kiss there.

“I’m sorry he hurt you, sunshine,” he mumbles. “I’ll make sure you’re never hurt like that again.”


	13. Uwa!! So HEATS!!♫

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OH YEAHHHH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> F U C K
> 
> *cough* Circus here. Yes, we know this chapter is very late. We apologize. Have fluff :3

**Chapter XII -** **Uwa** **!!** **So HEATS** **!!♫**

You excitedly pace the length of your room, every couple of steps interrupted by a small skip or happy jump.

A few days ago, your friend group had decided that, as a graduation thing accompanied with Undyne's wedding, that you all would spend a few days at the beach beforehand!  You leave in  _ two hours _ , and you’re  _ super hyped _ .

Of course you have everything packed and ready, right?

Nope!

You sorta kinda….stayed up talking with Chara until two in the morning? And then slept until about...twenty-five minutes ago?

You’d be panicking at the lack of time to pack, but hey! You’re too excited to panic!

Also, you have  _ Max! _ She will sort everything out! She should be here any minute now...

“Aight, fashion police here. Hands where I can see ‘em,” your friend drawls, swinging the door open and adjusting the bright yellow sunglasses on her face.

“Max!” You cheer, running over and hugging her tight. 

“Sheesh!  _ Someone’s  _ excited,” Max notes, amusement clear in her voice. She drops her backpack at the foot of your bed and makes a beeline for the closet.

“Oh come on!” you say, jumping on your bed and sitting with your legs crossed. “You can’t tell me that you aren’t super hyped.”

“I am, but at least I’m  _ acting  _ calm. Do you have anything picked out already?”

You snicker. “Nope.”

Max groans. “You’re usually so well put together!” She begins to sort through the clothes, picking up hangers now and then and squinting at them.

You pick up your phone and bring up the most recent message. Chara had sent you a good morning text, along with an excited one about the day. You smile.

“Do you at least have your camera?” Max suddenly questions.

You look up quickly, mind still on Chara. “W-what?”

“Camera and stuff for the wedding,” Max prompts, carefully folding a dress shirt and placing it in a suitcase.

“Oh! Yeah, I have that all ready,” you say, going back to your phone. 

“Good,” Max praises. She picks up a skirt and scrutinizes it before putting it back.

“So I can’t help but notice…” Max starts, rifling through a pile of shoes.

You blush at a pick up line Chara had made and respond, absentmindedly answering Max. “Yeah?”

“You’ve been texting with Chara a lot…”

“Yeah?”

“I think he likes you.”

“Yeah?”

“Mayyyybe you should go out with him?”

“Yeah.”

“You aren’t listening, are you.”

“Yea-wait what?” You look up suddenly. “What?!”

Max holds up a dress up to you, squinting. “Yeah! He sure hasn’t been subtle. Especially since you broke things off with Sans,” she says, before folding the dress and putting in the suitcase.

You sputter for a moment, dropping your phone. “Max, I only broke up with Sans like, three weeks ago! Isn’t it...too soon to move on?”

“That’s what you're  _ supposed  _ to do! You leave those bad times behind and focus on the future! What would you even wait for?”

You look down at your hands. “I...I don’t know. But I feel like dating right after a breakup is...disrespectful in some way.”

Max’s face softens and she walks over to your bed. Climbing on next to you, she takes your hands.

She says your name softly. “...  _ He _ left  _ you _ . He can’t expect you to wait for anything.  _ No one _ does. The faster you move on, the faster you can forget the whole thing even happened. I think you’ve waited long enough.” She suddenly looks annoyed. “And if Sans has a problem, we can kick his non-existent ass.”

You giggle at the idea of sweet Max beating up your ex. You pull her into a hug. “Thanks, Max.”

“No problem, (Y/N).”

She pulls away and gets up, going back to the closet. Looking back at your phone, you respond to Chara again.

“So… would you date Chara?” Max asks, tossing a pair of socks into your pack.

“What?” You look up. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What was that?”

Max hesitates before shaking her head. “Nevermind.”

You stare at her a moment before shrugging. You move to go back to your phone, but suddenly remember something. “Oh, what about bathing suits?”

Max absentmindedly points at your bag. “I got it.”

“Thanks, Max. You’re a lifesaver,” you say gratefully.

“Don’t I know it,” Max smirks, zipping up the pack. “All done!”

“Yay! Chara says they’ll be here in ten minutes!” You say excitedly, bouncing off the bed and over to her. You hug her tightly, bouncing.

“Woah, calm down!” Max laughs. 

You let go, but you’re still bouncing. “What do we do until they get here?”

Max hums. “Well, usually a vine comp video is about ten minutes. We could watch one of those,” she suggests.

You grin and nod, getting your phone and pulling up one. You and Max sit together and watch vines until you get a text from Chara saying that they’ve arrived.

You greet the red-eyed boy with a hug. 

“Hey sunshine,” he says softly. “Excited?”

“She’s been bouncing all morning,” Max replies.

You chuckle nervously. “I..uh, haven’t been to the beach in a while.”

After loading everything into BP’s car, you say goodbye to your family and pile in.

BP is driving, so he takes the front. Max is the co-pilot, taking the spot next to him. Quinn is squished between the two - the middle console apparently has the ability to fold out into an extra seat. Chara takes the back window seat, and you get in next to him. Napstablook sits at the other window, and Temmie lays on Max’s lap. 

Throughout the trip, there are light hearted quips and lots of laughter. You and Chara tell puns and bad pickup lines to each other, making Max and BP groan. 

The trip goes smoothly, without a hitch.

_ Although you can’t help but notice Chara’s hand on your leg. _

_. _ _. _ _. _

“Max, I’m not sure about this…” you mumble, picking at the rather tightly-bound material of the swimsuit hugging your skin. The bathing suit had looked absolutely adorable on the rack at the store, but now that you’re seeing yourself in it, you can’t help but be a bit self conscious.

“You look incredible, trust me!” she assures, placing her hands on your shoulders as she pushes you out. “Oh, Temmie! Are you about ready too?”

“YS! tEm iS REAdy!” Temmie announces, trotting out of her changing stall with a blue bathing suit on and tiny, yellow floaties circling her arms and waist. You chuckle before grabbing your belongings and looking back at Max.

She’s dressed in a cute, dark blue one piece with lighter accents of lavender in places. “Max, you look so cute!”

Your friend chuckles. “Thank you! Right back at you, though!”

The three of you exit the changing rooms located near the beach you all are at. It’s relatively crowded today, but there’s still plenty of space for you all to enjoy yourselves together.

“There are the guys!” Max says suddenly before she steps in front of you in order to walk in the direction to the rest of your friend group.

You stop dead in your tracks when your eyes land on Chara, though.

You’d known that he had a bit of muscle...but…

...holy  _ shit _ .

Your breath catches in your throat as his bare torso comes into view: he’s not necessarily as buff as some men, but he’s definitely toned. His biceps are defined, and his abs aren’t built for strength so much as they’re built for speed. You vaguely recall him saying he had participated in track and field a long time ago. Your eyes drift over his hips, then his abs again, and finally, his clavicle-

“Sunshine!” he calls, snapping you out of your trance. You feel your face burning as you force your gaze away from his chest.

“Ch-Chara!” you greet, smiling despite your embarrassment. 

Despite his smile, you can see that he’s smirking ever so slightly. Immediately, his arm is slung around your shoulders and oh stars he’s staring at you and smirking and he’s so close you can smell him and-

“See something you like?” he mumbles, the tone of his voice dropping as his lips brush against your ear, which only fuels your blush. Your brain tries to stutter out a response, but you’re too flustered to form a sentence.

He chuckles lightly, and you can feel his chest vibrating along with it. “And for the record, you look so damn good in that bathing suit,” he says lowly into your ear. You nearly faint as you mumble out some form of response.

He laughs before releasing you, leaving your knees feeling like jelly. Thankfully, everyone else is busy speaking so they didn’t catch your flushed face. You’re so occupied in your thoughts that you don’t see Chara sneaking behind you. A few seconds later, you feel a pair of arms sneaking around your waist before they lift you up. Soon enough, you’re perched over Chara’s shoulder and he’s running towards the ocean.

“Chara!” you squeal, limbs flailing wildly as he dashes to the ocean. “No!” You helplessly look up at your friends and silently beg for help with your eyes, but they’re all staring at you with smirks and folded arms.

Before you know it, you’re tossed into the freezing water. The temperature instantly causes your skin to jolt awake as you claw your way to the surface.

Once you’re up, you gasp before glaring at Chara.

He laughs upon seeing you, causing you to growl playfully before jumping on his back and doing everything in your power in order to throw him off balance and make him fall. You succeed eventually, he topples over and crashes into the water. You cheer and giggle as his head pops out of the water.

“Okay, now we’re even,” he says, laughing along with you.

Your giggles subside but your smile lingers as you see the rest of your friend group walking (or floating) down to where you and Chara are.

“How’s the water?” Max yells. You scowl before swimming closer to where they’re standing. Then, you slap the surface of the water, causing them all to be splashed.

“Cold!” Max shrieks.

“Man, fuck the cold water,” BP says before dragging Quinn somewhere. “We’re gonna go cuddle on the sand under an umbrella like sane people. Then we’re all playing volleyball and Quinn and I are gonna kick all of your sorry asses! Even you, bitchass marketing major. Consider this payback for your little stunt on Monopoly the other day!”

“Damn BP, you’re being saltier than the ocean right now,” Max mumbles.

“I have every right to be. Now if you’ll excuse us!” With that, BP leaves hand-in-hand with Quinn, who only waves to you all exasperatedly.

You groan, splashing Chara again.

“Joke’s on you. I’ve already submerged myself in the water,” he boasts. “Therefore, your attempts to splash me have had no effect.”

“GUYS!” Quinn yells suddenly. You all direct your attention towards the couple.

“What is it? Did something happen?” Max questions.

“No, we just had a great idea that even BP couldn’t resist,” Quinn answers. “As a result, our cuddle time can and will wait.”

“What are we doing?” Chara asks, standing beside you.

“We’re burying BP in the sand so that only his head is sticking out. But, we have to do it in a very specific shape.”

“why’s that?” Napstablook questions. He’d been pretty quiet the whole time, but now he has a tiny smile on his face, which you’re glad to see.

“It’s a secret!” BP yells before kneeling on the sand. “Now, get burying!”

You all do as he says, curious to see what he’s planning. Soon enough, BP has been buried in a shape resembling a pyramid. The sand is packed down tight and has been layered on thick, which is helped by the fact that it’s wet. By this point, only his head is visible. He’s also facing the ocean.

“I know what you guys are doing,” you speak up suddenly, a grin on your face.

“What are we doing?” BP asks, smirking.

You furrow your eyebrows and clear your throat dramatically. “I am the sand guardian! Guardian of the sand!”

Quinn claps and BP nods in approval. “Exactly. You get a chocolate bar as a reward for figuring it out first.”

“Wait, what?!” Chara demands.

“I’ll share!” you chirp.

“NO! It’s for you and you ONLY!” BP roars. “He doesn’t get any. Okay, someone record this and tell me when to start.”

Max is the one to follow instructions. With that, the recreation begins:

“I am the sand guardian! Guardian of the sand!” BP cries.

“Poseidon quivers before him!” Quinn adds, dropping down in front of BP.

“FUCK OFF!” BP screeches at the ocean.

With that, Max ends the video and the rest of you crowd around in order to watch it - except BP, who’s still stuck.

“Babe, help…” BP whines.

“I think we should leave him there,” Chara says, crossing his arms and smirking.

“No, he’ll just be annoying,” Quinn says before you all begin to knock the sand off so he can stand up.

“Alright, now we’re going to our spot. Later!” BP calls before jerking Quinn away.

“gUYs! tEm waNTs tO bUIlD sND cSTLE!!!” Tem speaks up.

“That sounds like fun!” you say. “I’m in! Anyone else?”

“I’ll help!” Max pipes up.

“i-i can’t really do much, but i’ll be moral s-support…”

“I’ll help too. But first, I’m gonna go grab some drinks. Anyone else want anything?” Chara asks.

You all place your requests before he nods and runs off, leaving you four to begin the sand castle.

“Okay, what kind of base?” you ask.

“Maybe like a traditional one with four buildings and walls connecting them?” Max suggests.

“And then we could have a little moat surrounding it!” you reply.

Temmie trots away to grab the mesh bag of cheap beach toys you all had purchased at one of those flashy beach stores. While she’s getting those, you and Max begin etching a floor plan into the sand.

After a minute, Temmie returns, dragging the mesh bag in her mouth. She lays it on the ground before Max goes to open it.

“Okay guys, I’m gonna go grab a bucket of water!” you announce, grabbing a plastic bucket and heading closer towards the ocean. There, you stoop over in order to scoop out a good amount of water.

You hear someone else wading in the water, and for a moment, you think it’s Chara. But when you rise to look at the person, you find that it’s…

...a guy you’ve never seen before.

You don’t say anything, you only stare at him, posture immediately straightening as your dominant foot slides back on the sand.

“Hello there,” he greets.

“Hi. Excuse me, please.”

You go to step aside him, but he steps at the same time as you and blocks your path. You clench your teeth but not your fists, sliding the bucket’s handle so that it’s resting on your wrist and your hand is free.

“You’re hot,” he says, smirking. You remain calm and patient, stance only strengthening as you hold your ground. “You should come back to our hotel with us.”

With that, another man steps out beside him. They’re both bigger than you, but you know if you handle this with strategy, then you’ll win.

Your stomach twists into angry knots, and you can feel fury building up in your veins. You drop the bucket into the ocean, keeping your footwork neat as you gradually turn yourself to the shoreline, hoping to get yourself in more shallow water.

“Leave me alone, please. I’m not interested,” you say, raising the both of your hands up but being sure to leave your hands open in hopes of de-escalating the situation rather than putting off a hostile vibe.

Suddenly, one of them comes up and grabs your dominant wrist. Taking that as an immediate escalation, you instantly curl your fingers and palm strike Man 1 in the jaw. He recoils, so you take the chance to send an oblique kick to his knee. He yelps in pain, buckling down, and that gives you a moment to deal with the other guy.

Man 2 has a different approach. His arms are slowly rising, but you don’t give him a chance to get close to you because you raise your arms before summoning a bunch of pictures, all of which you send flying towards the man. The edges of the thin material cause the skin of his arms to become littered in tiny papercuts. It doesn’t do much to hurt him, but it distracts him long enough for you to march up to him before rotating the dominant side of your body back before slamming your elbow into his jaw, effectively knocking him out.

With that, you back up as two lifeguards come running towards you.

“What happened?!” one asks.

“They wanted me to go back to their hotel with them. Obviously I declined, and I tried to leave, but they wouldn’t let me go. One grabbed me, so I defended myself.”

“Okay. Looks like some people caught it on video, so that’ll come in handy.” The lifeguards both set to work on giving first aid to the men. You sigh in annoyance, disappointed and upset that it had to come to this.

“Sunshine!” you hear a voice call. You’re about to turn to meet him, but Chara only embraces you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“Chara,” you say, voice teetering off.

“Are you okay? I only saw the last part of what happened,” he explains, his hold tight on you.

“I’m fine,” you say.

Someone else calls your name, and you see Max standing there along with the rest of your friends, all donning concerned expressions.

“I know you’re okay physically at least,” Max starts.

“How? We haven’t even checked her-” BP replies.

“She took five years of Krav Maga with her brother,” the former states matter-of-factly. “I knew she’d be fine. It’s their condition they should be worried about.”

“Wait, seriously?!” Chara questions. “Isn’t that the self-defense technique they use to teach soldiers and several areas of law enforcement?”

“Yes. It’s one of the more brutal forms of Israeli self-defense not centered around competition, or artsiness. It’s for real-world defense, plain and simple,” you explain. "And those were very basic techniques."

Chara glances at the two men writhing in pain on the ground. You think you feel him shiver but you’re not sure.

“D-Damn, sunshine…” he mutters, chuckling. “You just keep on surprising me.”

After that, you’re left to explain the situation to the beach’s security officer, who obtains copies of a cellular video that had been recorded by some random teenager. You exchange contact information with the guard and sigh.

“Guys, I’m so sorry,” you mumble.

“Don’t even,” Chara interrupts. “That was not your fault. You did what you had to do.”

“But…”

“He’s right,” BP replies, tone quiet. “You were defending yourself, and now those assholes are going to pay the price.”

You pause, clutching onto Chara’s biceps as he still holds you. A few seconds later, you spy the abandoned bucket still floating aimlessly in the ocean. It had been pulled out a bit further, but you’d still be able to reach it.

You tap on Chara’s arm, and he releases you. Then, you take his hand and pull him out into the ocean, where you push the incident to the back of your mind while you pursue the bucket, which you retrieved at waist level.

“Will you help us finish our sand castle?” you ask, grinning up at him. It feels a bit forced, but you’re determined to not let those idiots ruin your day of fun with your friends.

Chara seems like he’s shocked for a moment before his signature grin returns and he nods. “Of course, sunshine. Lead the way.”

…

About an hour or so of fun in the sun, the seven of you decide to head back to the beach house you all had rented for your stay. You all hadn’t actually had the chance to observe it yet, since it wasn’t ready to be entered by the time you’d all arrived.

It was a simple but brightly-colored two-story beach house that overlooked the ocean. The house itself was decorated to accommodate a marine aesthetic, with decorative fishing net and buoys hanging on the wall in places. It was painted a lovely shade of blue that resembled water.

“It’s so pretty!’

With that remark, you all head inside.

“Hey guys, before we start doing room arrangements, I have a question,” Quinn speaks up.

“What is it?” you ask.

“Well, I’ve been thinking...this is a wedding, so...there’s obviously going to be dancing. The thing is, I don’t know how to formally dance,” the blue bunny monster admits, averting his gaze.

“Aw, babe!” BP says. “Come to think of it, I can’t either.”

“Neither can I,” you reply.

“Same here,” Max adds.

“i don’t think it’s much of a problem for us two,” Napstablook adds alongside Temmie.

“I can teach you guys, if you want,” Chara says.

“Really?” you ask.

“Yeah. My mom made me learn how.” He nods. “I’ve got it down pretty well. How about, after dinner, I show you guys how?”

There are a chorus of agreements and gratitude while Chara nods. “Then that’s settled. What about rooms? Are there really only three rooms total?”

“Yeah. Since Naps, Tem and I live together, we can share one. That won’t be a problem.”

“Which would naturally leave Quinn and I to share one, and…”

Everyone’s gaze comes to fall on you and Chara. Immediately, your face heats up as you realize why your friends are giggling like idiots.

“W-Wait…” you mumble, face growing hot.

“Yep,” BP practically cackles as he and Quinn go to unpack. “You two are sharing a room.”

Chara sighs as everyone goes to unload. “It’s okay, sunshine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Your mind’s eye jumps to a picture of the tiny little couch you’d seen in the living area. Sure it could fit two people, but Chara’s tall and lanky! He’d be all cramped up there…

“No! That couch is too tiny and you’re tall! You’d surely be sore as hell in the morning!” you shake your head and fold your arms. That wouldn’t do. Not one bit.

“But sunshine...isn’t that kinda...?”

“I trust you, Chara,” you admit, blushing a little. “We can share.”

“Sunshine…” he drawls out before chuckling. “Alright, then. Thanks.”

With that, the two of you enter your room. In the center of the room is a bed with dark blue sheets and marine-themed decorative pillows. More fishnet lines the wall, and several decorative objects are attached to it in places, like fake life savers, sea shells, and fish hooks.

“Oh, this room is so cute!” you chirp, giggling a bit as you observe the decorations.

“Look who’s talking,” Chara replies with a smirk, making your face turn red again. You avert your eyes before dropping your bags down on one side of the room while Chara takes the other half. “Oh hey, we got a balcony!”

“Really?!” you ask, turning in his direction and gasping when you see the view.

The ocean is splayed out before you, waves crashing on the shoreline. The sun is beginning to set, which reminds you of how long it’s been since you’ve all been here. After you all had left the beach, you went to go grab dinner and walk around for a while before you all came back.

Chara leans his hand on the rail while you sit down, slipping your legs through the opening of the bottom part. You squish your face between the bars for a second before giggling at yourself and leaning your head against one bar.

A few seconds later, Chara sits down next to you as well and copies your position.

“Are you alright? From earlier, I mean,” he begins. “You shook it off really well, but I know those kinds of things can be troubling.”

You sigh, bonking your head against the bar and looking down. “Yeah. I’m alright. I just wish people wouldn’t...see me that way, you know? And I know I’m not the only woman to have ever been harassed by men like them. I’m lucky that I was able to learn how to stand up for myself and fight, but a lot of people aren’t that lucky.” You shake your head. “This is supposed to be our graduation trip. I didn’t want any assholes ruining it for us, so I just...didn’t think about it. I poured all my focus onto building Temmie’s sand castle and engraving it afterwards.” You chuckle.

“I understand,” he mumbles. “Just...please talk to me if you need anything, okay?”

You nod, smiling as your chest feels a bit lighter. “Thank you, Chara.”

“You’re welcome.” With that, you two drift off into another comfortable silence. You gaze absentmindedly at the waves as something begins gnawing at you.

Now that you’re finished with college, you have a choice to make. A critical choice, at that. You’re planning on visiting your campus one more time, and the purpose of that trip is to pick up your ensemble and see your final grade. And after that…

...you have no clue.

“Hey,” Chara asks suddenly, pointing out onto the ocean. “Don’t you photographers have some term for the sunset?”

You nod, shoving your thoughts aside. “Yeah. It’s called The Golden Hour.” A fuzzy but foreign feeling envelops your stomach as you say that for some reason.

“Interesting,” he mutters before he turns his head to watch you for a moment, studying you with his bright eyes. “What’s on your mind, sunshine?”

You hesitate, fidgeting a little bit as you look down. “I don’t know. Just...a lot.”

“I’ve had a lot to think about too,” he adds. “I think we all do, now that we’re done with college.”

“What are you going to do, Chara?”

“I’m starting my own business,” he answers, voice positive and filled to the brim with confidence.

“Really?! That’s incredible!” you say, grinning. “What kind?”

“I’m going to go around helping out monsters and humans where they struggle in working together,” Chara says. The two of you scoot back so that you’re both leaning on the glass door now. “I want to hand-pick a team of the strongest monsters and humans I know in order to make my vision come true.”

“Your vision?”

“Yeah,” he says before elaborating. “My goal is for monsters and humans to be able to work together seamlessly. The thing is, there are a ton of things that prohibit us from working together - things like cultural gaps, language and knowledge barriers, that kind of thing. Also, there are monsters and humans that still don’t trust each other. So, I’m planning on building a team of both monsters and humans that will be able to help establish a certain way to do things between both our species. Maybe once we get bigger, we can make these uniform across the country. But that’s a long way down the road.”

“That’s amazing,” you compliment, smiling.

He pauses for a moment before speaking again: “What about you, sunshine? What are you doing?”

A frown crosses your lips as you begin fidgeting again. “I...I have no idea. I feel so lost, I just…”

Suddenly, his demeanor changes and he begins picking at his fingernails, a conflicted expression on his face. You can tell he’s debating on asking you something.

“What is it, Chara?” you question, scooting closer to him and taking his hand in yours.

“I...I need a partner,” he admits softly, gaze shifting to your face. “This is something I know I’m passionate about, something I know I’m going to pursue until the day I die. But...there’s no way in hell I can do it alone.” He squeezes your hand. “And you...you showed me things about the way humanity interacts with monsters...things I’d never considered before until I saw your pictures.”

“I did? Like what?” you ask, puzzled.

“Like...when you were taking pictures of those kids and giving them copies of the Polaroid prints, and they were all excited about having their pictures taking, and they showed each other their pictures, and they were laughing and smiling…” Chara sighs. “Those kids never saw monster or human. They just saw friends. And you...you  _ captured  _ that very moment. Against all odds, and I just...I can’t fucking do that. I’m oblivious to interactions like that. I put more faith in my head than in my heart, and it makes me blind to those little moments that you freeze in time so well. And now that I’m saying all this, I realize...a lot of people out there are like that. Like me.”

You’re about to respond when he suddenly turns his entire body towards you. He grabs your shoulders and keeps talking, but this time around…

“Sunshine, what I’m trying to say is...if you want the position, then you’ve got it. I mean, I don’t want to force you to work with me, obviously, but…”

“What would I even do?” you ask, heart beginning to race.

“You’d take pictures of our events. And also, you’d publish articles and flyers for the company and help promote us, and you’d help me plan meetings…” He was excited at first, but now he seems almost...bashful. Shy Chara is an adorable Chara, you decide.

“Really?! That actually sounds like a lot of fun,” you admit, giggling.

“I’m glad,” he replies, chuckling a little. “You don’t have to decide right now, but just know...that option’s open.”

Something in your heart is begging you to work with Chara. It’s something beyond your heart, beyond your physical being. Your SOUL. You draw a hand to your sternum, feeling the throbbing heart underneath your skin.

“Chara, I’d love to work with you,” you say, grinning. “I’m honored you feel that way about my work.”

He laughs and immediately scoops you into a hug. You squeak, but hug him back. You can’t help but blush as he basically pulls you onto his lap and traps you in his arms.

“Thank you,” he mumbles into the crook of your neck. “It can’t work without you.”

“Chara…” you say softly, threading your fingers through his hair. The two of you stay like that for a few seconds before pulling apart.

Chara’s staring at you, and his expression makes your heart pound. His red eyes are laced with...something you can’t quite pinpoint. Determination? Passion? Desire? All? More?

You then remember that you’re still on his lap, back half-pressed against his chest. Wait...when did he cup your cheeks…? Why...why does he seem like he’s even closer than when you last looked at him half a second ago? Why do you want him to be closer? Why and how is he so infuriatingly adorable?!

You’re snapped out of your thoughts when he presses his forehead to yours, stare locked with your hazy gaze. Your breath hitches in your throat as you feel his thumbs rub your cheeks softly. You hold onto his forearms, feeling his pulse when you gently touch the inside of his wrist. A moment later, your noses are touching, and his breath is intermingling with yours. His eyes are lidded, and his gaze has dropped to your lips, causing yours to do the same.

Gently, he starts pulling your head closer to his face, and his eyes flutter shut. Yours do too. You can feel his breath ghosting your lips, and you’re  _ so close  _ to him-

_ Bang! _

The sudden noise forces a squeal out from your lips and startles you so much that you flail and lose your balance, effectively causing you to fall off of Chara’s lap.

You hit the concrete of the balcony’s floor, causing you to groan.

“Fuck,” you hear Chara growl before you feel his hands on your shoulders as he lifts you up. “Sunshine, are you okay?”

“Uh...um...y-yeah, fine,” you say, a blush crossing your face as you avoid his gaze.

“Good,” he breathes. “Now, second question - what the hell was that?!”

“Are you guys decent?!” you hear BP yelling through the door, which makes your face go scarlet.

“Fuck off!” Chara replies frustration laced in his tone. “What do you want?”

“Come out. We have desserts and shit. Plus, you still need to teach us how to formally dance.”

“Can’t that wait?!” Chara demands angrily.

“Why? You two got better things to do? Like each other?”

“That’s it, he’s dead!” Chara roars before storming out of the room and chasing BP down. You sigh, hoping Max and/or Quinn will be able to stop the red-eyed boy.

A few moments later, you decide to take a breather in the bathroom. You lock yourself inside before splashing your hot face with cool water.

_ It was just a joke,  _ you think.  _ BP was only teasing us. _

Your mind instantly takes you back to what had just occurred, though.

“We almost kissed,” you mumble to yourself, eyes wide as you press your hands to the side of your face. “Holy...holy  _ shit _ .”

There was something about that look in his eyes...and the way he cupped your face...it just…

You groan, splashing more water on your face before patting it dry with a fluffy towel. That moment alone was way more intense than anything you had experienced with Sans. You press your back against the wall, sliding down until you’re sitting on the floor.

Things are going to be awkward now. How could they not be?!

Your thoughts are interrupted when someone calls your name. You clamber to your feet and walk out of the bathroom. You’ll have to figure all that out later.

“Who called?” you question.

“I did,” Max replies, grinning. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” you affirm with a nod. “Yeah, I’m good.”

She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything more. “Come on out to the deck, Chara’s about to show us how to dance. Then we’re eating dessert.”

You nod and follow her out to the deck, where strings of tiny lantern lights line the perimeter of the roof. Everyone else is out there too.

“There you guys are,” BP notes. “Now then, let’s get started.

“Okay,” Chara says, moving the coffee table out of the way. You avert your gaze when he stands back up. “Ready?”

Everyone sits on the couch, watching him clear a space in the living room. At his question, a general hum of affirmation is heard, along with BP grumbling.

“Okay then. Sunshine, want to help me demonstrate?”

“Wha- I can’t dance!” you yelp, the thought of being close to him after such an intimate moment making your face go red. But...you also kind of want to be close to him...

“I’ll lead you through it,” he assures, smiling slightly. His gaze is cautious but also friendly. “I just need a partner.”

“I guess…” you mumble, standing and walking over to him. He takes your hand and addresses the group.

“Alright. So first you all will need to know how to box step. That’s the easiest to both learn  _ and _ use. In fact, you could probably get by the entire dance using only a box step.”

He leads you in front of him. “The leader’s dominant hand goes on the lower shoulder of the follower. Not the waist,” he puts his hand on your back, moving it up to your lower shoulder. You can’t help but blush slightly.

“The other hand takes the followers hand. Hold it tight, but don’t squeeze or anything. Got it?”

Your friends nod, so he continues.

“So the box step has eight movements. Just like the name, you’ll be stepping in the shape of a box.”

As he speaks, his hand on your back pushes you slightly forward. You stumble slightly, tightening your grasp on his arm.

“Take a step forward, and to the left,” he says, doing so. You follow him, feeling clumsy.

“Once you take that step, you bring your feet together and pause. That counts as a step. Next, take a step backwards-” he says, doing the motion, “-and to the right. That’s one box step.”

He leads you through it again, saying each step as you do so. After doing that a couple of times, you begin to get the hang of it. He counts each step as you dance, praising you each time you get something right.

“Got it?” he asks the group, smiling when everyone nods.

“Okay, then. Triple step. Triple step is just like it sounds. It’s like...elegantly hopping to the side three times.”

He tightens his grip and leads you to the side. “Hop a bit and move to the left. One, two, three,” he counts, moving with you. You begin to feel more confident as you skip.

“Soon enough, you’ll be able to mix things up, alternating between box step and triple step. Just change it around so that it goes with the music, and you’re golden,” Chara says, slowing and letting go of you.

He bows, grinning. “You’re a lovely dance partner, sunshine.”

You curtsy, giggling. “No u.”

He snickers before turning to the rest of your friends. “Anyone want to practice?”

Soon the room is filled with all of your friends practicing ballroom dancing. You smile, dancing with Chara some more. You’re glad it’s not as awkward as you had originally anticipated it to be.

He twirls you around a few times, dips you, picks you up by your waist and swings you around...the list of elegant little dance moves are endless and soon enough, you’re enjoying yourself.

Chara twirls you again, and you find that you’re dizzy. You stop spinning and blink as your vision is skewed for a moment.

“Whoa!” Chara says as he slips an arm around your waist to prevent you from running into the railing. You grunt, bracing yourself on his chest as the episode subsides and your head stops spinning. “Okay, I think that’s enough for tonight. You guys seem to have it all down anyways. Now, where’s the chocolate?!”

“We hid it,” Max states.

You shake your head. “Don’t even bother. I hid a box of it at the shop once and he sniffed it out like a dog.”

“I mean, you  _ did  _ say I could keep it if I found it,” Chara says, smirking. “And there’s no way I’m giving up free chocolate so easily.”

“You’re insane,” Max mumbles.

“Okay, I’ll compromise. Give me all the chocolate and you guys can have what’s left.”

“How is that a compromise?!” Quinn asks.

“Fine. Give me half the chocolate and I’ll let you guys share the rest.”

“We actually bought you a bigass bag of assorted chocolate. All for you so you can’t steal any of our stuff,” Quinn notes.

“Oooh! Where?”

With that, Quinn and BP go to retrieve the treats, leaving the rest of you outside until they come back with arms full of sugary things - one of which is a four-hundred piece bag of fun sized chocolates.

Chara cackles as BP throws the monster bag at him. “Now we’re talking!”

“He’s gonna be so sugar high later,” you mumble, chuckling nervously.

“That also means he’s gonna crash. Hard,” Max reminds you.

With that, you all begin digging into your respective treats.

…

“Thank you for taking it away from me,” Chara grunts, flopping onto the bed. “My stomach hurts so bad.”

“You’re welcome,” you say, chuckling as you emerge from the bathroom, clad in your pajamas and hair damp from the shower.

He groans again before he sits up on the bed, back against the headboard. “I have no self control.”

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with you,” you reply, finishing up your nightly rituals as the two of you fall into silence.

...Should you ask him? Or wait for him to say something?

You start fidgeting nervously when you remember that the two of you are supposed to share a bed. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but you’re kind of nervous now. You’ve never slept in a bed with a boy before.

“Hey, if you’re not comfortable with this, I can sleep on the couch. I don’t mind at all,” he says, expression softening.

“No, it’s fine,” you insist, pushing your nerves aside. There’s no reason to worry - it’s just Chara. “I just...um…”

“Oh, about earlier…?” he looks away when you nod. “We...ah, we can talk about that later. Preferably when my stomach isn’t trying to kill me.”

You giggle, nodding. “That sounds good.”

A few moments later, you crawl into bed, settling underneath the covers. Chara follows your lead.

You sigh upon laying down, smiling softly. It’s nice to have some quiet after everything that happened today. Laying down relieves your back of any pressure and instantly sets you at ease.

“Hey, sunshine?”

“Hmm?” you ask, turning so that you can look him in the eyes.

“Would you be against cuddling?”

You giggle. “Cuddling’s fine with me.”

You hear him cheer softly before he scoots closer to you and presses his chest against your back and envelopes you in his arms. You can’t help but grin; it feels great to be cuddled like this.

You have so much on your mind, but somehow this idiot manages to soothe all of your worries by holding you tightly. You’re nervous and a little scared of the future, but you can’t be bothered by those matters now.

You fall asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Circus again. We created a fantastic Discord server, and we'd love for you to join:
> 
> https://discord.gg/AjJmaCd
> 
> It's chaotic but there are fantastic people on there. Join the HyperCircus today >:D
> 
> Also, reader's fight scene was totally not a way for me to flex the fact that I recently started taking Krav Maga and have been THRIVING. 
> 
> Anyways. Hyper is currently eating a cookie and says hi. Have a great weekend everyone, we love ya.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let us know what you think!! Thank you for reading!!


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